Allow me to congratulate you for being the recipient of the 2024 EuChemS Young Chemists’ Award (EYCA). Can you briefly introduce yourself, and tell us what has drawn you towards science, and entering EYCA?
MP: I was born in the US but raised in the south of France, completed my master’s in Chemistry from Paris-Saclay University in France and now hold a PhD in Chemistry from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Both of my parents are scientists, especially my mother is a chemistry teacher and she was able to share very early on her passion for chemistry. I had been closely following the work of EuChemS ever since I started my PhD thanks to my supervisor Prof. Victor Mougel, and the first international conference I attended was the 8th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in Lisbon in 2022 where he was to receive the EuChemS Lecture Award. It was there that I learned about the EYCA, attended the talks of the nominees and the award ceremony. It was very inspiring to see all the great things we can achieve as chemists and I did not think at the time that I would end up myself on the stage one day!
GA: Thank you, it is truly an honour to be the recipient of the EYCA 2024 Gold Medal! I am a 35-year-old organic chemist from Montalbano Jonico, a small town in southern Italy. I completed my studies at University of Pisa, earning my PhD cum laude in 2019. Then, I moved to University of Bari Aldo Moro, where I worked as Post-Doctoral Researcher. In April 2023 I re-joined University of Pisa as Junior Assistant Professor and, since May 2025, I am Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry at University of Parma. My journey into science began with curiosity: as a child, I was fascinated by how small invisible particles could build the world around us. Such interest then matured into a desire to understand and contribute to synthetic organic chemistry. What drew me to EYCA was the opportunity to share my research with a broader European scientific community and to be inspired by the work of my peers.
What did you think of the competition, now that you participated? How would you summarise your experiences?
MP: First it was really amazing to connect with other inspiring researchers from all over Europe, and the quality of the presentations was very high. It was really mesmerizing to realized how broad research in chemistry is, and how innovation in this field is so crucial to help solve the many challenges of our time. In the end it was nice to share the stage for the PhD level award with Sara as our research projets were very complementary – one trying to recycling rare earths from lamps and one designing bio-based emitters to be able to produce lamps without rare earths!
Can you briefly explain the science behind your project?
MP: I presented for the EYCA one of my PhD projects, which focused on the recycling of rare earth elements (REEs) from e-waste, with the case study of europium recovery from spent energy-saving lamps. REEs are critical for both the energy and digital transition, but their mining from natural ores possess serious environmental and geopolitical problems. One solution is to source these elements from the waste we produce, but in order to be economically viable, separation technologies have to be extremely selective. I was studying the chemistry of rare earths with bio-inspired molecules, tetrathiometallates, a motif that is commonly found in natural enzymes. We realized that the properties of these new assemblies could be used for rare earth separation, and therefore recycling. The first results on model systems were so groundbreaking that we decided to patent the technology before publishing it.
GA: The project that led to the award was carried out almost entirely during my Post-Doc at University of Bari Aldo Moro. The idea behind our research was very simple: we explored the use of infrared (IR) irradiation as an alternative energy source to traditional thermal heating in carbon-carbon bond formation reactions. Our goal was to reduce energy consumption and improve sustainability, according to the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry. Surprisingly, IR irradiation not only exhibited less energy requirement, but also significantly accelerated the reactions, proving to be more efficient than thermal heating. We then tried to understand the origin of this surprising effect and proposed that IR light could act through a combination of thermal and non-thermal contributions, possibly interacting directly with specific molecular vibrations to influence the reaction pathway beyond simple heating.
Why did you choose to focus your research on this particular area?
MP: I was really fascinated by rare earth elements ever since I did my very first research project on their chemistry in the group of Greg Nocton at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, even though they are usually seen as the misfits of the periodic table. And Victor’s approach to take inspiration from natural systems to produce better synthetic systems was something I could really see value in, so when he offered me a thesis combining both, I was over the moon. And while the project did not originally target rare earth separation, I was well aware of the challenges and so it made a lot of sense to focus my research efforts on this application afterwards.
GA: My research activity mostly focuses on the synthesis and characterization of π-conjugated organic compounds with potential applications as semiconducting active layers in optoelectronic devices. These materials are commonly produced through transition metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, often requiring a significant amount of energy supplied by a pre-heated thermostatic bath at a given temperature. Over the past two decades, organic chemistry has increasingly embraced the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry. One of these – “Design for energy efficiency” – calls for minimizing energy use in chemical processes. This led us to question whether these cross-coupling reactions could be carried out using more sustainable energy sources. We thus explored IR irradiation, which has so far been rarely used in organic synthesis but is widely used as energy source in everyday life.
What are your future plans?
MP: Since the EYCA ceremony in Dublin, I graduated from my PhD and secured funding from the ETH Foundation to pursue the development of this separation technology into a markable product. The Pioneer Fellowship program I am part of now really helps to bridge the gap between research and entrepreneurship, and I am very excited about all the learning opportunities I have now working as the CEO and co-founder of the startup REEcover.
GA: As mentioned above, just a few weeks ago I moved to the University of Parma, where I started my independent research career as a principal investigator. While I will continue working on π-conjugated organic materials obtained through sustainable synthetic protocols, I am also eager to explore new cutting-edge directions in organic chemistry. Taking part in the EYCA 2024 competition and discovering the high level of excellence in the work presented by the other finalists made me realize how important it is to always keep broadening our horizons: after all, the essence of scientific research lies in the willingness to explore the unknown, where unexpected and serendipitous results often arise. With this spirit, I aim to build a dynamic and collaborative research environment that embraces curiosity, interdisciplinarity and inclusion.
Do you have any advice for your peers who may be interested in science?
MP: My advice would be to go for it ! There are so many things left to discover and so many great problems that need solving, from recycling plastics to carbon capture and energy storage. We really need more passionate people doing science, and especially young women, this is why it was a great delight to have so many amazing female scientists among the nominees.
We usually ask scientists interviewed here if they have any advice to give to young, early career researchers. Now, let me turn this around: as a young scientist, do you have a message for those researchers who have been in the field for a long time already?
GA: I feel deeply grateful for the scientific path paved by those who came before me. But if I can share a message with them, it is this: keep listening to early-career researchers. Our questions and ideas may seem trivial, but they often stem from genuine curiosity and a fresh perspective. Dialogue between generations is key: it combines experience and innovation, caution and ambition. At the same time, I also wish to say: please don’t be too harsh or overly demanding with your students. We live in a time dominated by the “publish or perish” culture, which often pushes us to rush, to compete, and to become obsessed with success, making it difficult to focus on truly meaningful science. This pressure not only affects the quality of research, but also has a real impact on the mental health of young scientists. Feeling seen, heard and supported by our mentors helps us grow into better researchers.
This interview is approaching the end – would you like to share any final thoughts?
MP: I might add that at REEcover we are always looking for new partners for rare earth recycling, may it be recyclers, governments or industrial using these elements in their supply chain. So do not hesitate to reach out if this is something of interest!
GA: Winning the EYCA 2024 Gold Medal represents the culmination of a research journey that lasted nearly four years. However, this achievement is the result of a great team effort, in which everyone made their contribution, whether big or small. I would therefore like to sincerely thank all the people I have been fortunate to meet along the way: my mentors, who patiently guided and supported me; my fellow early-career researchers, with whom I shared both the successes and challenges of this project; and all the students, whose experimental work in the lab was essential to achieve the final results. Last but not least, I warmly thank my loved ones, whose constant support and presence have been my greatest strength over the years. This award is not mine alone: it belongs to all of them.
