Christian Durante is a Full Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Department of Chemical Sciences (DiSC) at the University of Padova (UniPD) and serves as the leader of the Electrocatalysis and Applied Electrochemistry group. He graduated in Industrial Chemistry from UniPD in March 2003 and earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences in March 2007.  Shortly after completing his Ph.D., he joined the research group of Prof. A. Gennaro at UniPD as an assistant researcher (postdoc) and held that position until December 2010 when he became an Assistant Professor in Physical Chemistry at DiSC. During his time as an assistant researcher, C. Durante expanded his research activities, particularly in the field of molecular electrochemistry, encompassing both organic and inorganic chemistry, as well as environmental electrochemistry. Currently, he is pioneering a new research direction in the field of electrocatalysis applied to energy production and storage, mostly in the field of oxygen reduction reaction for PEMFC, H2O2 electrogeneration and water electrolysis for green hydrogen generation. His focus is on investigating the catalytic effects associated with the size and morphology of metal nanoparticles (NPs) and alloyed NPs loaded onto nitrogen-doped carbon-based electrodes.

He is a member of the Italian Chemical Society and the International Society of Electrochemistry. He teaches courses in physical chemistry and electrochemistry to undergraduate and graduate students in chemistry, industrial chemistry, material science, and chemical engineering. He has authored 95 papers published in peer-reviewed international journals and has delivered over 80 presentations at national and international conferences. Additionally, he holds an Italian patent.

Abdirisak A. Isse received his Ph.D in Chemical Sciences from the University of Padova in 1989 with a thesis entiled Electrocatalytic Activation of Carbon Dioxide, under the supervision of the late Prof. Elio Vianello. Subsequently, he worked on various topics of organic and inorganic electrochemistry holding different post-doc positions for several years at the same university. Currently, he is associate professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova. His research activities are in the area of molecular electrochemistry, with particular interest in topics such as electron transfer processes, homogeneous and heterogeneous electrocatalysis, electrochemical remediation of water pollution, mechanisms of electrode processes, electrocarboxylations and environmentally friendly electrosynthesis. He is the author of 130 papers, published in peer-reviewed international journals and books, and numerous papers presented in national and international conferences.

Marco was born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy in 1987. He studied molecular electrocatalysis under the supervision of prof. Abdirisak Isse and prof. Armando Gennaro at the University of Padova. In 2015, he moved to Carnegie Mellon University, PA, USA, to the group of Kris Matyaszewski, to apply electrochemical tools to solve challenges in polymer chemsitry. 

In 2017 Marco was visiting scholar under the supervision of Prof. Edmondo Benetti at ETH, Zurich, to study polymerization and coating on surfaces. In 2018 he visited Prof. Rinaldo Poli at CNR, Toulose, to learn more about organometallic catalysis.

From 2019 to 2021 Marco worked in the largest coating research laboratories in the world, at PPG Coatings Innovation Center in Allison Park, PA, USA. In 2021 he joined University of Padova as assistant professor (rtdB).