Education and Career​

  • Laurea summa cum laude in Chemistry, University of Catania, Italy (1990)
  • PhD in Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Italy (1994)
  • Post Doctoral Fellow, FRAE-CNR, Bologna, Italy (1995-1996)
  • Assistant Professor at the University of Catania, Italy (1996-2004)
  • Visiting Scientist at the Max Planck Institut fur Strahlenchemie, Mulheim, Germany, in the Dr. Silvia Braslawsky’s Group (1998)
  • Visiting Scientist, University of Ottawa, Canada in the Prof. J.C. “Tito” Scaiano’s Group (1998-1999)
  • Visiting Scientist University of Miami in the Prof. Francisco M.Raymo’s Group (2004, 2011)
  • Associate Professor at the University of Catania (2005-2015)
  • Habilitated to Full Professor in 2013
  • Current position: Full Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Catania

Prof. Salvatore (Salvo) Sortino

Awards and Fellowships

  • Scholar Research Award from CNR (1995)
  • Scholar Research Award from CNR (1998)
  • Journals Grant for International Authors from Royal Society of Chemistry (2004)
  • Journals Grant for International Authors from Royal Society of Chemistry (2010)
  • Fellow for Visiting Professor at the Universitade Federal do ABC – Brazil (2024) 

Scientific Output

  • 233 Pubblications in peer-review journals (180 as corresponding author) covering multidisciplinary aspects of photochemistry, encompassing the areas of material chemistry, reaction mechanism, bio-inorganic and bio-organic chemistry
  • 25 Cover Pages, 13 Hot Papers, 2 International Patents and more than 180 Communications to National and International Congresses.
  • H Index = 44, with mote than 7000 citations (Scopus)
  • 13 Funded Research Projects (National and International) over the last 15 years

Main Academic Roles

  • From 2015 to date Coordinator of the International PhD Program in Chemical Sciences
  • From 2011 to 2019 Coordinator of the School of Excellence of the University of Catania (Scuola Superiore di Catania).
  • From 2020 to 2021 Member of the Patent Comittee of the University of Catania
  • From 2021 to 2023 President of Patent Comittee of the University of Catania

Invited Lectures and Seminars

  • 18th International joint congress of Photobiology and Molecular and Experimental Pathology Society of Australasia,  Pert, Australia, August 2024  (Invited talk)
  • 7th edition ofthe European Society for Photobiology School, Bressanone, Italy, June 2024
  • 20th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology, Lion, France, August 2023 (Invited Talk)
  • International Summer School on Photosentitive drugs: from therapies to instability, loss of activity and toxicity – Granada, Spain, July 2023
  • Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, April 2023 (Invited Seminar) 
  • V International Summer School on Cyclodextrins – Ascea September 2022
  • VIII Workshop on Nitric Oxide in Cancer – Copenhagen June 2022 (Invited Talk)
  • VIII International School on Photochemistry, Bologna, June 2022 
  • 20th International Cyclodextrin Symposium, Giardini Naxos, Italy, May 2022 (Key Lecture)
  • 19th Congress of the European Society for Photobiology, Salzburg, Austria, August 2021 (Invited Talk)
  • 3rd International Conferences on Mateial Science and Engeneering: Recent Advances and Challenges, Alessandria, Egypt, March 2020 (Key Lecture)
  • Controlled Release Society, Australian Chapter, Brisbane, Australia, November 2019 (Invited Talk)
  • Department of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Australia, November 2019 (Invited Seminar)
  • King’s College, London, October 2019 (Invited Seminar)
  • XLVII Italian Division of Inorganic Chemistry, Bari, September 2019 (Key Lecture)
  • VII International School on Photochemistry, Bologna, June 2019 (Invited Talk)
  • Materials.it 2018, IItalian Conference on Material Science and Technology, Bologna, Italy, October, 2018 (Key Lecture)
  • Conference of Italian Society of Photobiology, Udine, Italy, June 2018 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Italian Photochemistry Meeting, Perugia, Italy, December 2017 (Plenary Lecture)
  • XVI International Photodynamic Association World Congress, Coimbra, Portugal, June 2017 (Invited Talk)
  • V International Workshop on Nitric Oxide and Cancer, Bologna, Italy, March 2017 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Summer School on Photoactivable Antibacterials: from Basic Concepts to Practical Applications, Bologna, Italy, September 2016.
  • 20th Meeting of The European Society of Surgery, Naples, Italy, June 2016 (Invited Talk)
  • 7 Corso Nazionale di Introduzione alla Fotochimica, Bologna, Italy, June 2016 (Invited Talk)
  • World Congress and Expo on Material Science and Polymer Engineering, Dubai, November 2015 (Invited Talk)
  • Internatonal Workshop and Summer School on Advances in nanoparticulate carriers: applications in diseases and infections, Paris, France, October 2015 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Conference of Italian Society of Biomaterials, Ancona, Italy, June 2015 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Conference of Italian Society of Photobiology, Bari, Italy, June 2015 (Plenary Lecture)
  • University of Siegen, Germany, Macromolecular Chemistry Department Chemistry – Biology, February 2015 (Seminar)
  • Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e Fotoreattività, CNR, Bologna, Italy, March 2015 (Invited Seminar)
  • Organic Chemistry Day, University of Pavia, October 2014 (Plenary Lecture)
  • International Conference on Nanomedicine, Viterbo, Italy, September 2014 (Plenary Lecture)
  • 8th International Conference on Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines, Istanbul, Turkey, June 2014 (Invited Talk)
  • Conference of Italian Society of Photobiology, Trento, Italy, June 2014 (Plenary Lecture)
  • 17th International Cyclodextrin Symposium, Saarbrucken, Germany, May 2014 (Plenary Lecture)
  • University of Brest, Department of Chemistry, France, March 2014 (Invited Seminar)
  • International Workshop on New Advances in Biology and Medicine, Catania, Italy, May 2014 (Invited Talk)
  • Università degli Studi di Torino, Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnonolgia del Farmaco, Torino, Italy, January 2014 (Invited Seminar)
  • XI National Conference of Supramolecular Chemistry, Padova, Italy, September 2013 (Key Lecture)
  • Università degli Studi di Napoli, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Napoli, Italy, September 2013 (Invited Seminar)
  • 2nd International School on Cyclodextrins, Giardini-Naxos, Italy, May 2013 (Invited Talk)
  • 4th Italian Conference on Chemistry and Technology of Cyclodextrins, Giardini-Naxos,Italy, May 2013 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Università della Basilicata, Dipartimento di Chimica, Potenza, Italy, May 2013 (Invited Seminar)
  • Conference on Applications of Nanodrugs in Photodynamic Therapy, Goetheburg, Sweeden, April 2013 (Invited Talk)
  • Summer School on Applications of Nanodrugs in Photodynamic Therapy, Goetheburg, Sweeden, April 2013 (Invited Talk)
  • Conference of Italian Society of Photobiology, Padova, Italy, June 2012 (Plenary Lecture)
  • XXV International Conference on Photochemistry, Beijing, China, August 2011 (Invited Talk)
  • Summer School on Photochemistry and Applications in Photoactivable Anticancer Drugs, Bologna, Italy, September 2011 (Invited Lecture)
  • International Workshop on Photochemistry in Confined Media, Toledo, Spain, March 2011 (Invited Talk)
  • University of Praga, Department of Chemistry, May 2011 (Invited Seminar)
  • S.I.F.I. Società’ Industria Farmaceutica Italiana, spa, Catania, Italy, February 2011 (Invited Seminar)
  • School of Organometallic Chemistry, Bertinoro (FC), Italy, June 2010 (Invited Talk)
  • 2nd France-Italy Meeting on Photochemisty, Marsille, France, December 2009 (Key Lecture)
  • International Congress Molecular Modification of Inorganic Surfaces for Nanomedicine, Pavia, Italy, February 2009 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Conference on Electronic Interactions in Supramolecular Systems, Luvain la Neuve, Belgium, September 2009 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Universidad de Vigo, Departimento de Quimica, Spain, Decembre 2009 (Invited Seminar)
  • Central European Conference on Photochemistry” Bad Hofgastein, Austria, February 2008 (Plenary Lecture)
  • 2nd Symposium ChemoChips, Eisenach, Germany, November 2008 (Plenary Lecture)
  • IV Joint Conference of Italian Society of Chemistry, Sicilia e Calabria Divisions, Cosenza, Italy, December 2008 (Plenary Lecture)
  • IV Joint Conference of Italian Society of Photochemistry and Photobiology, Maratea (PZ), Italy, June 2007 (Plenary Lecture)
  • Universitaet Munchen, Lehrstuhl fuer BioMolekulare Optik, Department fuer Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians, Germany, July 2008 (Invited Seminar)
  • Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Departamento de Quimica Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica, July 1999 (Invited Seminar)