Prof. Dr. Pier Paolo Pompa is Distinguished Chair Professor at the College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University (ZJU) and Visiting Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT).
PPP received his M.Sc. in Physics and a PhD in Nanobiotechnology (2005) at the National Nanotechnology Laboratory (NNL) in Lecce (Italy). PPP subsequently joined NNL as a junior researcher and, since 2008, as a staff scientist. In 2009 he moved to the Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies (CBN) of IIT, where he was first appointed Group Leader and in 2011 Director of CBN. In 2015 he moved to the Central Research Labs of IIT in Genova as Research Director and Head&Founder of the Nanobiointeractions&Nanodiagnostics Lab. He joined ZJU in 2025. PPP is also Board Member of the PhD School (Department of Chemistry) of the University of Genova, serves on the Editorial Boards of multiple international journals, and is a Member of the Scientific Committees of several international conferences. He is also a recipient of the National 1000 Talent Award.
His research activities are highly interdisciplinary, spanning nanotechnology, biophysics, nanodiagnostics, nanomedicine, and nanobiotechnology, and are intensively focused on the understanding of nano-bio interaction mechanisms, nanoparticles/nanozymes, and development of low-cost hybrid sensing strategies for point-of-care diagnostics. PPP has extensive expertise in POC technologies for both healthcare and food safety&genetic traceability. He has developed several innovative assays (based on isothermal amplification techniques and plasmonic/catalytic nanoparticles) for water&food safety and anticounterfeiting applications.
PPP has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications in International Journals (including Nature Nanotech, PNAS, Nature Comm, ACS Nano, Angew Chem, Adv Mater, Chem Soc Rev, with > 15,600 citations), several book chapters, and many invited and oral contributions to International Conferences. He is also the inventor of >35 internationally granted Patents (EU, US, CN, JP, HK), some already licensed and translated into commercial products. Strongly committed to technology transfer and industrial collaboration, PPP has established multiple partnerships with companies in diagnostics, food, and start-up ecosystems. He has coordinated/contributed numerous national and international projects in nanobiotechnology, with a total funding of over €7.2 million in competitive grants. He also regularly serves as a reviewer for major journals (Nature Mater, Nature Nanotech, etc.), international funding agencies (e.g., ISF, ACS, HFSP), and global university ranking agencies (e.g., Times Higher Education).