THE WOMAT TEAM

Carola Esposito Corcione

Carola Esposito Corcione (co-founder of WOMAT), Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Salento in the scientific-disciplinary sector “Systems, methods, and technology of chemical and process engineering”. Throughout her career, she has developed expertise in the development of innovative and eco-sustainable methodologies for material transformation (with particular reference to polymeric materials, nanocomposites, and organic-inorganic hybrids, urban solid waste, industrial waste), pre-industrial scale engineering of production processes and application of developed products (with particular reference to the use of 3D printing technologies).

“My life’s purpose has always been to surpass my limits. There is no challenge I am not willing to accept and especially commit to winning. The main characteristics that distinguish me are determination, tenacity, willpower, stubbornness, patience, curiosity towards the unknown and the different, kindness, and empathy towards others, along with a touch of healthy ambition and competition. I have always been involved in research and innovation in the field of production and transformation technologies of innovative materials for industrial use, as well as in teaching, instructing hundreds of students to have a concrete and resolute approach to any engineering problem and beyond. This has always been my approach to life and thus to my profession as an engineer, researcher, and university professor. The aspect of my work that gratifies me the most is the ability I recognize in myself to transfer my ideas and/or knowledge to others, without ever imposing myself. This translates into excellent relational skills suitable for teamwork, as well as a strong technical/dissemination and potentially commercial capacity. These are the main motivations that drive me to undertake yet another challenge I have set for myself. I would like to try to exploit my potential in the entrepreneurial field, giving concrete form and life to my ideas, so that they do not remain as such but transform into tangible objects and products, ready to enter the industrial market. I am very motivated to also follow the commercial aspect of my inventions. In this, I have no experience, but one thing is certain: I am not willing to fail!!!! I may not immediately recognize the right path, but I know for sure that I will not give up until I find it.

Aurora Rizzo

Aurora Rizzo (co-founder of WOMAT), PhD in “Innovative Materials and Technologies” in 2008 at the ISUFI-Unisalento Graduate School. Senior researcher at CNR-NANOTEC in Lecce where she conducts research on the study, control, and correlation of morphological, structural, and optical properties of organic/inorganic hybrid materials (hybrid perovskites, colloidal nanocrystals, two-dimensional materials) for application in optical and optoelectronic devices, such as LEDs and particularly solar cells. She possesses expertise in the field of material physics, particularly on the optical and optoelectronic properties of semiconductor, organic, and organic/inorganic hybrid materials, and the fabrication and characterization of electroluminescent devices and solar cells based on these materials.

The activity that excites me the most about my work is shaping materials at the micro and nanoscale to achieve new and unpredictable properties. I consider myself a rational, tenacious, determined, and collaborative person. My dream is to contribute to energy production that is sustainable and available to all.

Silvia Colella

Silvia Colella (co-founder of WOMAT), PhD in “Nanoscience” at the National Nanotechnology Laboratory – NNL (Lecce), in 2010. She worked abroad for many years in R&D at public research institutes and private companies. She is well known internationally for developing inks with different formulations for metal halide perovskite-based solar cells. Currently, she is a researcher at CNR-NANOTEC in Bari where she coordinates the activities of a research group for various projects. She possesses expertise in the field of material chemistry, design and development of organic molecules, polymers, and hybrid materials for energy and environmental applications, particularly in photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. Characterization of these materials from a structural/morphological and chemical perspective, use of supramolecular chemistry to optimize the deposition process of these materials and scale-up.

“I’m a chemist and a seeker. I look for innovation in my work and I look for my potential by always setting myself new challenges. This pushed me to explore different work realities, from public to private, living in different countries, interfacing with figures of different levels, from students to entrepreneurs, covering disparate roles, and asking myself every time how to make a difference and what to learn again. Today I wonder what the fate of my ideas may be, what form they can take and how they can provide concrete solutions to current technological problems”.

Antonella Giuri

Antonella Giuri (co-founder of WOMAT), PhD in “Materials and Structures Engineering and Nanotechnologies” at the Department of Innovation Engineering of the University of Salento in 2019. In her journey, she has had the opportunity to conduct research activities and interact with very different realities, including international research groups, during periods spent abroad, and corporate environments, developing and co-patenting innovative metal halide perovskite-based inks for optoelectronic applications. Currently, she is a Temporary Researcher at CNR NANOTEC (Lecce). Over the years, she has developed expertise in the field of Materials Engineering and Nanotechnologies for energy and biomedical applications. Particular reference to the fabrication, characterization (structural, morphological, thermo-mechanical), and study of the processability of polymeric, organic/inorganic hybrid, nanocomposite materials.

My main interest is the development of innovative materials, through the engineering of properties and the search for innovative solutions to improve their stability and processability, in view of subsequent technology transfer. Perseverance, patience, curiosity, collaboration, and a continuous desire to know characterize my modus operandi with the aim of expanding my interdisciplinary knowledge and transversal skills to best exploit them in proposing more eco-sustainable innovative solutions.

Raffaella Striani

Raffaella Striani (co-founder of WOMAT). PhD in “Materials and Structures Engineering” at the Department of Innovation Engineering of the University of Salento in 2015. With a degree in Conservation and Restoration Sciences, she has been able to leverage the knowledge acquired in the field of restoration and conservation technologies for cultural heritage, integrating them into the engineering field, obtaining the title of Doctor of Philosophy in 2015. During her research activities, she developed, co-patented, and contributed to the industrial scale-up of an innovative product with exceptional protective properties for stone surfaces and buildings of historical and artistic interest. Over the years, she has collaborated with numerous research centers and private companies developing specific skills, with particular reference to the development of nanostructured, photopolymerizable, hybrid coatings for the protection of construction materials and metals; recycling and valorization of waste materials for the production of thermoplastic and thermosetting products; development of innovative thermally conductive nanocomposite fabrics. waste for the production of thermoplastic and thermosetting products; development of innovative thermally conductive nanocomposite fabrics.

“I consider myself a curious person and ready to “absorb” what comes before me again. At work, as well as in life, I face new challenges with emotion, but great enthusiasm and practical sense. My professional objective is to expand my know-how day by day, giving, with the pragmatism that distinguishes me, a concrete contribution to research and proposing solutions with a high innovative and technological content capable of advancing the status quo of so-called products and technologies “traditional”.

Stefania Carlucci

Stefania Carlucci (co-founder and CEO of WOMAT). She obtained a Master’s Degree in Energy and Nuclear Engineering in Bologna. After graduation, she attended a master’s in Engine Calibration at Accademy Experis in Maranello (MO). Since September 2020, she has contributed to the works that led to the birth and growth of Reinova – now a center of excellence in the field of new innovative and sustainable mobility, focused on the development, testing, validation, and homologation of components, systems, electrified vehicles.

Giuseppe Esposito Corcione

Giuseppe Esposito Corcione (for Solutions 2.1 srl, co-founder), CEO of Reinova, the innovative center of excellence for the development and validation of components for electric and hybrid Powertrain located in the heart of the Emilia Motor Valley – has put his rich experience in the automotive sector to use with the aim of promoting electrification in the world of mobility through the offer of innovative and sustainable solutions and services. Graduated in Mechanical Engineering, after a consolidated work experience abroad, in 2020 he returned to Italy where he created his own consulting company, Solutions 2.1, and subsequently started his personal entrepreneurial project that gave life to Reinova.