Mario Pagliaro - Biography#

Mario Pagliaro is Research Director at Italy's National Research Council based in Palermo, Italy, where he leads a research Group working in a broad research field encompassing biochemistry, nanochemistry, solar energy, green chemistry, the bioeconomy, research policy and open science. In 2022 and again in 2024 he was named Highly Ranked Scholar (HRS), last five years, all fields of scholar's endeavor. Highly Ranked Scholars are those with ScholarGPS Ranks of 0.05% or better amid all scholars worldwide ranked on the basis of productivity (number of publications), impact (citations), and papers of highest impact (h-index). ​ In 2021 "due to outstanding achievements as a researcher" he was elected ordinary member of the Academia Europaea. In 2014, in recognition of his "significant contributions to the chemical sciences" he was designated Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.​

Research
Developed in co-operation with leading researchers based in more than 20 countries, his Group's research is reported in more than 400 frequently cited research papers, 48 of which feature on the cover of journals such as Materials Advances, ChemSusChem, and Nanoscale.​ “IntegroPectin”, "CuproGraf", “NiGraf”, “CytroCell”, “AetnAsh”, “CytroCav”, “AquaSun”, “SiliOrange”, “AnchoisOil”, “LimoFish”, "AetnAsh", “AnchoisFert”, “SiliaSun”​ and “HyTan”, and “GreenCaps” are some of the names created by Dr Pagliaro to identify new functional materials and new enabling technologies jointly developed by his Lab,

He has authored or co-authored 22 books, some of which have become the reference in their field. His work has been widely highlighted by national and international press, including by MIT Technology Review, Advanced Science News, Italy's national television, newspapers and magazines.

Frequently cited for his excellence in teaching, he is regularly invited to give lectures and seminars on the topics of his research. In 2005 he was appointed “Maître de conférences associé”at Montpellier’s Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie. In 2017, he was one of the most highly prolific authors for ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering in the past 4 years. In 2016 he was selected first among the top five highly prolific authors of Organic Process Research & Development.

In 2008, when a few scholars believed in the forthcoming emergence of photovoltaic technology as a significant contributor to the global energy generation mix, Dr Pagliaro introduced the term "helionomics" in book Flexible Solar Cells, later translated in Chinese.

Conferences and Seminars organized

On August 2022 he co-chaired along with Professor Yun Hang Hu, the first USA-Europe ACS Symposium on Energy organized by the ACS Division of Energy and Fuels in Chicago.​ Between 2011 and 2017 he co-chaired the “SuNEC - Sun New Energy Energy Conference” and the “FineCat - Symposium on heterogeneous catalysis for fine chemicals”, both held yearly in Sicily.​ The meetings saw the lectures of scientists of international standing in chemistry, solar energy and new energy science and technology.

In 2009 he chaired the 10th FIGIPAS Meeting in Inorganic Chemistry held in Palermo with over 300 scientists originating from more than 50 different countries («A smashing success»).​ Between 2004 and 2017, he organized the prestigious Seminar "Marcello Carapezza" whose 2011 edition was hosted by Italy’s Parliament. Student mentor, reviewer, journal board memberships

Student mentor, reviewer, journal board memberships

Dr Pagliaro has mentored several M.Sci. and Ph.D. students in Italy and abroad in the context of international collaborations. Some of his former sudents and post-docs today work at prestigious universities, publishers and innovative companies.

He has been appointed in several international committees with appointments so far in Doctoral evaluation committees from Liverpool University (UK), Khalifa University of Science and Technology (UAE), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain), Université Lille 1 Sciences et Technologie (France), Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria (Italy), as well as in the professional evaluation committee of the Ariel University and of the Sami Shamoon College of Engineering for a position of Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

Besides acting as reviewer for most chemistry, energy and materials science journals, he regularly evaluates research project for national and international research agencies and science ministries, including France Research Agency, Israel Ministry of Science, Dutch Research Council NWO, Royal Society, Fonds de recherche du Québec, Israel Science Foundation, São Paulo Research Foundation, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, Pazi Foundation, US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Research Foundation - Flanders, Estonian Research Council, Poland National Science Centre, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Dr Pagliaro is a member of the Advisory or Editorial Board of several chemistry, energy, and materials science journals, including Chemical Society Reviews, Energy Technology, and Energy Science & Engineering.

Community service scholarship

In 2015 (September-December) Dr Pagliaro was president of AMG Energia, a utility company owned by the Municipality of Palermo.

Since 2016 he has been a member of the National Technical Scientific Committee of Legambiente, the largest Italian environmental association. In 2016 he presented to the Chamber the results of the first conservative study on the energy transition of Italy based on low-cost renewable energy technologies (photovoltaic, wind and hydroelectric).​

The results of his research group have also been used to formulate important parliamentary acts.​ He collaborated in drafting the national bill "Provisions on social and economic development in the energy and production transition to the bioeconomy" and the regional bill "Measures for the promotion of distributed generation in the territory of the Sicilian Region".​ He carries out extensive dissemination activities with frequent public interventions at conferences and in the mass media.

Online since 2000, his website https://www.qualitas1998.net contains all his team's research papers self-archived and updated information on his research, educational and public outreach activities.