Iolanda Francolini, since January 2004, is Assistant Professor at the Sapienza University of Rome where performs research studies on synthesis and characterization of polymers for biomedical applications and serves as a Lecturer in the Science and Technologies of Polymers. She obtained a degree in Industrial Chemistry “cum laudem” in 2000 from the Sapienza University of Rome. In 2001, she performed research on ultrastructural analysis of polymer surfaces and microbial biofilms at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of Health) of Rome. In 2005, she obtained a Ph.D. degree at the Sapienza University of Rome in Chemical and Industrial Processes defending a thesis on antimicrobial functionalized polyurethanes. In 2003, she was a visiting scientist at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana, USA, where she worked in the development of on-demand drug releasing polyacrylates. Currently, she collaborates with the Microbial Biofilm Laboratory of the IRCCS - Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, for the development of polymer systems for the prevention and control of biofilm-based medical-device-related infections. Her research interests are synthesis of antimicrobial and antifouling polymers, drug releasing polymers, magnetic core/shell nanocomposites for drug targeting, composite materials base on graphene oxide. She was invited speaker at several international conferences and is currently guest editor of the Special Issue “Polymeric Systems as Antimicrobial or Antifouling Agents” of International Journal of Molecular Science. She is author of 57 scientific publications in international Journals, and more than 60 conference proceedings, with H-index 18.
