Prof. Giovanna Fronzoni
Full Professor of Physical Chemistry
ORCID: 0000-0002-5722-2355
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli studi di Trieste, via Giorgieri 1, 34127 Trieste.
Tel: +39 0405583948
email :
GF obtained the PhD in Chemistry in 1987 (Theoretical chemistry, thesis title “Quantum mechanic many-body studies of magnetic and optical properties by Equation of Motion method”) at the University of Trieste. 1987-1988 : research fellow at the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Trieste. 1989 : fellowship of the CINECA computing centre. From 1990 Assistant professor, from 1998 Associate Professor and from 2020 Full professor of Physical Chemistry, University of Trieste.
Scientific Interests
The research activities mainly focused on the development and application of quantum-chemical approaches for the study of photoionization and photoabsorption processes in isolated molecules, adsorbates and clusters. The methodological developments concerned both highly correlated approaches (based on configuration interaction ansatz) to obtain accurate results for small and medium sized systems, and computationally less expensive methods, in particular DFT and TD-DFT approaches, to treat large systems.
Current research topics:
- core photoabsorption and photoemission spectroscopy of molecules and molecules adsorbed on surface by means of DFT and TDDFT computational approaches. The spectroscopic studies in the core region represent a very fruitful area of synergetic interplay between experiment and theory and close and continuous collaborations are active with the experimental teams of the GAPH (Gas Phase Photoemission) and the ALOISA (Advanced Line for Overlayer, Interface and Surface Analysis) beamlines at the Elettra Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory.
- theoretical investigation of optical properties of metal nanoclusters by means of TDDFT method, in collaboration with Prof. M. Stener, University of Trieste.
GF is co-author of about 135 papers in ISI international scientific journals.
5 Selected publications
1. Toffoli D.; Grazioli C.; Monti M.; Stener M.; Totani R.; Richter R.; Schio L.; Fronzoni G.; Cossaro A. “Revealing the electronic properties of the B-B bond: The bis-catecholato diboron molecule” PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 23 (2021) 23517.
2. Guarnaccio A.; Zhang T.; Grazioli. C.; Johansson F. O. L.; Coreno M.; de Simone M.; Fronzoni G.; Toffoli D.; Bernes E.; Puglia C. “PPT Isolated Molecule and Its Building Block Moieties Studied by C1s and O 1s Gas Phase X‑ray Photoelectron and Photoabsorption Spectroscopies” JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, 124 (2020) 9774
3 M. Mendolicchio , A. Baiardi, G. Fronzoni , M. Stener , C. Grazioli, M. de Simone , V. Barone “C1s XPS of pyridine, 2-fluoropyridine and 2,6-difluoropyridine: experiment and theory” THE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 151 (2019) 124105.
4. D. Toffoli, M. Stredansky, Z. Feng, G. Balducci, S. Furlan, M. Stener, H. Ustunel, D. Cvetko, G. Kladnik, A. Morgante, A. Verdini, C. Dri, G. Comelli, G. Fronzoni, A. Cossaro, “Electronic properties of the boroxine–gold interface: evidence of ultra-fast charge delocalization”, Chemical Science, 8(5), 3789-3798, 2017.
5. Dri, C.; Fronzoni, G.; Balducci, G.; Furlan, S.; Stener, M.; Feng, Z.; Comelli, G.; Castellarin-Cudia, C.; Cvetko, D.; Kladnik, G.; Verdini, A.; Floreano, L.; Cossaro, A. “Chemistry of the Methylamine Termination at a Gold Surface: From Autorecognition to Condensation” JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES, 120 (2016) 6104-6115
Most recent academic appointments
2018 - to date : Member of the evaluation committee of CVR (Commissione Valutazione Ricerca) - Sector 03-Chemical Sciences, University of Trieste
September 2015 – January 2022 : Delegate of the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science for the teaching activities (Bachelor and Master degrees in Chemistry and Master Degree in Farmacy and in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology)
2016 - to date : Member of the Scientific Committee, Collegio Universitario di Merito “L. Fonda" , University of Trieste
2012- 2015 Deputy Director of the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Trieste
2011 – 2016 Member of the teachers’ board, Ph.D. School on Nanotechnology, University of Trieste
