Affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Rome
Keywords: Quantum Chemistry; Condensed Matter Physics; Multiscale Modeling; Plasmonics; Light–Matter Interaction; Computational Spectroscopy
Full profile: Tommaso Giovannini is a tenure-track assistant professor in Theoretical Physics of Condensed Matter at the Department of Physics, University of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy). He studied Chemistry at the University of Pisa, graduating cum laude in 2015, while simultaneously obtaining the Diploma of the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Italy) as a “Studente Ordinario”. He then earned a Ph.D. in Methods and Models for Molecular Sciences (cum laude) at the Scuola Normale Superiore (2015–2019). After his Ph.D., he held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim (2019–2021), followed by a fixed-term Junior Assistant Professorship (researcher) position at the Scuola Normale Superiore (2021–2024). In June 2024, he joined the University of Rome Tor Vergata as a tenure-track assistant professor.
His group works on the theoretical development, implementation, and application of multiscale computational methods to study spectral signals and response properties of complex, realistic systems, at the interface of quantum chemistry and condensed-matter physics. In particular, the group develops and applies quantum/classical strategies for condensed-phase molecular spectroscopy, especially for solvated molecules where strong and specific solute–solvent interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding) require an accurate atomistic description of the environment together with a reliable treatment of the solute electronic structure. These methodologies can be combined with molecular dynamics sampling and applied to a wide range of observables, spanning UV/Vis absorption, vibrational spectroscopies, and Raman scattering. In parallel, the group develops fully atomistic, yet classical, models for nanoplasmonics to describe the optical response of realistic nanostructures (metal nanoparticles, aggregates, nanojunctions, alloys, and graphene-based materials). These models can be coupled to quantum descriptions of molecular adsorbates to quantify how plasmonic substrates modify adsorbate properties, from plasmon-induced changes in electronic structure to surface-enhanced spectroscopies.
Tommaso’s research has been recognized through several awards, including the Raman Award (2024) for Best Young Researcher, the Eolo Scrocco Award (2025), the Young Physical Chemistry Award (2022), and the Philip J. Stephens Award (2018). He was also selected as the IUPAC Young Observer for Italy (2024–25) and for the 2024 CAS Future Leaders Top 100 program.
He is the author of 80+ peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals (including Chemical Society Reviews, Physical Review X, Nature Communications, Nano Letters, and Chemical Science), is co-inventor of one granted Italian patent, and has delivered 40+ presentations at international conferences and workshops, including invited and keynote talks. He also contributes to the scientific community being member of the Nano Letters Early Career Advisory Board (American Chemical Society, since 2025). Alongside research and mentoring, he supports institutional and outreach activities at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, serving as a member of the Third Mission Committee and social media manager of the Department of Physics, and contributing to outreach initiatives and the organization of orientation activities for high-school students.
Since 2023, Tommaso has been actively raising competitive funding as Principal Investigator. He was awarded the Italian PRIN 2022 PNRR project POSEIDON (“hydroPhObic eutectic SolvEnts In water remeDiatiON”), where he serves as PI of the University of Rome Tor Vergata unit, focusing on the theoretical/computational investigation of hydrophobic eutectic solvents for sustainable water remediation. In 2025, he received a prestigious ERC Starting Grant for the project CHOPIN (atomistiC approacHes for plasmOnic Photo Induced phenomeNa), aimed at developing advanced theoretical methods to understand and predict plasmon-driven physics and chemistry, with a long-term perspective toward more efficient and sustainable chemistry in the context of plasmonic catalysis.