Andrea Ponzoni (AP) got the degree in physics from the University of Parma, Italy, in 2000 and the PhD degree in Material Engineering from the University of Brescia in 2006 with a thesis on nanostructured metal oxides for gas sensing applications. AP is now researcher (Assistant professor) at the unit of Brescia of the National Institute of Optics (INO) of CNR. During the 2000-2002 period he worked in the field of optics in Parma (University of Parma, Physics Dept. and IMEM institute of CNR). He worked with Fourier Transform spectroscopy to characterize rare earths doped crystals for laser applications and with optical table setups to develop non-invasive optical methods (interferometry, polarimetry, polariscopy, holography) for the investigation of first-order optical inhomogeneity of optically-transparent materials. In 2003 AP moved to the University of Brescia to work with semiconducting oxides. Here, his activity was dedicated to the synthesis of functional oxides by means of PVD methods and their exploitation as gas sensors. In particular, AP work was dedicated to the exploitation of metal oxides to prepare gas sensors based on different transduction principles including conductometric, surface acoustic waves and Schottky diodes. Working in gas-sensing field, AP dedicated both to develop materials for gas sensing as well sensing system based on these materials for specific applications. Concerning materials science activities, AP further focused his work on metal oxide single crystalline nanowires and the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques for materials characterization (morphological and electrical) at the nanoscale and to develop nanolithography techniques based on AFM. As for applications, AP focused on the exploitation of such sensors to develop artificial olfactory systems for applications in the field of safety and security. Presently, AP has a permanent position as researcher (Assistant professor) at the National Institute of Optics (INO) of CNR. He is the scientific responsible of the CNR-INO unit in the FP7 project N. 313110 “SNOOPY - Sniffer for concealed people discovery” and in the Lombardia Region – CNR project 16942 “SUSBIOREM - New approaches and methodologies for bioremediation of water contaminated by chlorinated aliphatic solvents”. In his career, AP has published 47 papers on international journals with referee and got more than 890 citations, his Hirsch index is 16 (source: Thomson Scientific's Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge)
