LORENZO MASSIMI

Lorenzo Massimi, PhD (Doctor Europaeus) in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (whose thesis was awarded as the best PhD thesis in the field of Atmospheric Chemistry by the journal Atmosphere of MDPI), is currently a Researcher and Professor of Environmental Chemistry (CHEM-01/B) at the Department of Environmental Biology of Sapienza University of Rome. He is the author/co-author of more than 70 scientific publications in high-impact international peer-reviewed journals and has delivered over 50 oral contributions at national and international conferences. He has consolidated experience in the sampling, treatment, and chemical characterization of environmental, biological, and food samples, elemental analysis of complex environmental matrices, chemical characterization of atmospheric particulate matter, health and environmental impact assessment of atmospheric pollutants and, specifically, in the monitoring and modeling of pollutants from a One Health perspective.
In 2016, he carried out research activities at the GTS of the Autonomous University of Barcelona; in 2018, he was a Visiting Researcher at IRAS of Utrecht University; in 2020, he was a Post-doc Researcher in Analytical Chemistry (CHEM-01/A) at the Department of Chemistry of Sapienza University of Rome. In 2020, he was also a Visiting Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Chile. In 2021, he was a Post-doc Researcher in Environmental Chemistry (CHEM-01/B) at the Department of Environmental Biology of Sapienza University of Rome. Since 2017, he has been a partner of the Italian Aerosol Society (IAS), of which he has been the Coordinator of Working Group 5 "Health Effects of Atmospheric Particulate Matter" since 2025. Since 2018, he has held funding for numerous research projects or third-party contracts. Since 2021, he is Researcher and Professor of Environmental Chemistry (CHEM-01/B) at the Department of Environmental Biology of Sapienza University of Rome. Since 2022, he has been associated with the C.N.R. Atmospheric Pollution Institute (CNR-IIA). In February 2023, he obtained the National Scientific Habilitation for the 2nd tier for the SSD CHEM-01/B in Environmental and cultural heritage chemistry of the GSD 03/CHEM-01. Since 2023, he has been a member of the Steering Committee of the CAD in Environmental Sciences and Technologies, and since 2025, he has been a member of the Quality Assurance Management Committee (CGAQ) for the same CAD. In 2025, he was again a Visiting Professor at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Chile. In the same year, he was awarded by the IAS as a young researcher, giving a significant contribution to the field of atmospheric particulate matter research in Italy. In November 2025, he obtained the National Scientific Habilitation for the 1st tier for the SSD CHEM-01/B in Environmental and cultural heritage chemistry of the GSD 03/CHEM-01.

His main research line concerns the development of innovative methods for air quality monitoring and the assessment of the health and environmental impact of particulate matter (PM).
He is currently involved in several research activities concerning: chemical characterization, source apportionment, and health impact assessment of PM in outdoor and indoor environments; assessment of the oxidative potential of PM; study of the PM ability to induce oxidative stress and toxic effects in model/experimental organisms; evaluation of the efficiency of green technologies for reducing the health effects of PM; study of the spatial and temporal distribution of PM components in urban and industrial areas; biomonitoring of air pollution exposure using plant and animal organisms, lichens, and non-invasive human biological samples (urine, hair, nails); chemical analysis of food in the context of food safety, food waste reuse, and geographical traceability.