This section contains interviews with scientists working in the Naimo project. The interviews focus on the everyday work of a nanoscientist and on important societal issues as the problem of under-representation of women in scientific research.

Interview with Giovanna Barbarella, ISOF-CNR Bologna, Italy: a personal view about exciting science, research funding, women and science, global society.

Giovanna Barbarella is a CNR group leader, working in the field of material chemistry: synthesis, characterization and applications of new materials.

About 10 people work in her own research group  “Risolino” (Research and industrial initiatives based on the synthesis of new organic photoluminescent molecues and their assembly in functional nanostructures). With the new reform of CNR she will have to coordinate a bigger group of more than 20 people working in the field of chemical nanotechnologies: “Functional Organic Materials for Hight-Tech Applications: molecular, supramolecular and biohybrid systems”.

Her education and work experience are very international (Italy, France, Swiss, USA), she has written about 170 research papers and has produced 3 patents.

She works in the impressive Bologna Research Area of CNR which has nice offices, experimental labs, a big congress center and an important library. (http://www.bo.cnr.it/)

Currently, the main objective of her research group is the synthesis of thiophene-based materials for applications in optoelectronics and biodiagnostics.

Some movies of G. Barbarella's group will be downloadable soon!

What kind of functionality have the materials that you study?

Basically, we are dealing  always with the same type of thiophene-based materials, functionalized in two different ways. With a first group of materials we exploit the semiconductor properties of thiophene derivatives for applications in optoelectronics, for a second group we use the fluorescence properties of these compounds for applications in biodiagnostics. So, the functionality we are interested in is charge transport in the first case and light emission in response to an appropriate stimulus in the second one.

How can you obtain the desired properties of a material by operating on its molecular structure?

Currently there is not an established correlation between the molecular structure (designed for example by ab-initio calculation) and its charge transport or light emission  behavior in the solid state. So, the research we are carrying on is largely based on empirical criteria and obtaining clear cut relationships between the molecular structure and the solid state behavior is precisely one of the major aims of our research. This requires the understanding of the self-assembling properties of the molecules which at the present state of our knowledge are unpredictable. There is such a large diversity in the ways molecules can associate in the solid state that the way to achieve rationalization and control of these phenomena still requires much fundamental research.

What is the ludic aspect of your work?

In the group, we enjoy very much the beautiful self assembling behaviours of the molecules we are preparing! We have produced a video showing the optical micrographs of cast films of some of our molecules accompanied by the notes of a Chopin's Nocturne in the occasion of a scientific meeting (financed by Naimo), namely the "Suzuki day: a tribute to professor Akira Suzuki". Professor Suzuki has given his name to a very famous reaction in organic chemistry with applications in the fields of materials and pharmaceutical chemistry.

Besides the artistic aspect of the cast films you show in the video, which are the precise applications of those films?

We are interested in the morphology of thin films because it determins the properties of the devices based on such films we are interested in, namely Field Effect Transistors (FETs) and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Moreover, we have recently started to analyze the photovoltaic properties of some of our compounds for applications in PhotoVoltaic Devices (PVD).

Can you describe the entire process of conception and construction of this kind of devices?

We firstly make a modelling study to choose the family of molecules to synthesize, then we synthesize some of them, generally using cross-coupling reactions such as the Suzuki reaction, we purify them to the degree required for electronic applications and finally the colleagues specialized in the fabrication of devices prepare the films and test their optical, electrical and optoelectronic properties.

You have created Mediteknology, a spin-off in the field of biodiagnostics. This kind of transfer of technology between public research centers and industry is usual in Italy?

It is not usual at all, CNR has started only recently this kind of technology transfer and it has been quite difficult! Our group had developed a new technology of biomarkers and CNR had to modify its internal laws in order to create the spin-off activities and give us the right to use the funds of the Ministry of Education and Research (MIUR) and the Spinner Funds of the region Emilia Romagna, based on the European Social Funds. Unfortunately, the actual Italian government has blocked the law 297 concerning the use of MIUR funds, so the development of new spin-off activities would currently be impossible!

How do you explain that the Italian research is still competitive when the funding for research is lower than in most of the other EU countries and is either decreasing?

The creativity  and the typically italian "arte di arrangiarsi" have certainly played a role, but the main reason is that at the same time the amount of funding raised from the EU and from private bank foundations has increased.  I am convinced that this competitiveness cannot be maintained without a stronger support from the national government, as the european or private funds cannot fully support the cost of structures and of the necessary permanent staff. In Italy permanent research positions become very rare, replaced by short term contracts.I believe that this is extremely negative for the quality of research, as the possibility to work serenely with a long term perspective is fundamental for the productivity of research.

Data published by the European Commission (*) show an impressive discrepancy in Italy between the proportion of women graduating in science and the proportion of women among the academic staff. Can you imagine any reason for this trend, based on your work experience?

The lack of transparency in the repartition of research funds and positions penalizes women. Moreover, we need to improve the welfare laws for maternity leave and child care, for example creating kinder-gardens in the working places. Above all, I think that we have to make a big cultural change, in the repartition of roles inside the families, the general acceptance that women want to work and the appreciation of their work. Working in research is exciting, but also difficult and demanding. It then becomes extremely difficult for women having a family to work in research when the care of children is still almost completely left to them for practical and cultural reasons.

(* )See http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society/women-science/women-science_en.html

Woman graduates in science in Italy: 47,7%, EU-15 average: 35,7 % (year 2001).

Women among the academic staff in Italy: 29,9%, EU-15 average: 34,1% (year 2001).

You work as a scientist since many years…do you see any differences between the condition of women researchers today and 20 or 30 years ago?

A very little difference. There is still discrimination against women and women are rarely chosen for leading or representation roles. I am also persuaded that women play a role in their discrimination as they practice a lot of self-censorship in a working field that has been modeled by men on their own competition schemes. Moreover, the fact that research is more and more based on short term contracts penalizes women who make pauses in their career to take care of their children.

What could be the role of nanotechnologies for the development of the global society?

The social impact of nanotechnologies can be very positive if we keep a fair orientation. Science has to play a big role for peace and for the progress of less developed regions of the world. For example, low coast nanotechnologies could be easily transmitted to third world countries. But it happens that research deviates from those noble aims. Recently, I had to referee a paper from a researcher working for the “Institute of Soldier Nanotechnologies” of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The paper has been accepted for publication because its scientific quality was good, but I strongly believe that the activities of soldier nanotechnologies should not be encouraged, moreover in a leading research Institution as MIT.