Francesco Fuso

Born 25/01/1962 in Foligno (PG), Italy
1994: PhD in Physics, Univ. Pisa
1990: Laurea in Fisica, Univ. Pisa

2002 – to date: Professore Associato (FIS/03 – 02/B1), Univ. Pisa
1998 – 2002: Ricercatore Universitario (B03X), Univ. Pisa
1993 – 1998: recipient of post-doc grants funded by various institutions

In his research activity, he has been involved, mainly from the experimental point of view, in a variety of topics of laser-matter interaction, structure of the matter, materials science and emerging technologies. He is presently interested in two distinct topics of laser applications to nanotechnology.
The first one is oriented towards nano-optics and the development and use of advanced optical near-field methods such as scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) with polarization-modulation and related applications to nanoscopy and nanostructuring. Exploitations deal with a wide range of materials and phenomena, including, e.g., linear and circular dichroism at the nanoscale in organics, nanospectroscopy of host-guest (smart) polymeric systems, plasmonics in metal thin films and nanostructures, optical nanowriting in polymers, nanoscopy of domain boundaries in piezoelectric thin films.
Such an activity, based on a long experience in scanning probe microscopy, including STM and AFM, has been extended to industrial-oriented applications (roughness and nanotribology of surfaces microfabricated by ultrashort pulsed laser ablation, and related material processing issues, including surface nano structuring for biomimetic applications).
Moreover, optical microscopy (standard and confocal) of biophysical samples is also among the recent research interests, in particular for the development of PhotoThermal Therapy approaches based on localized plasmon resonances.
The second line of activity entails laser control of the matter through a variety of approaches and for a range of advanced applications, in particular for the creation of ion beams produced out laser cooled atomic samples and they application in Focused Ion Beam technologies.
Past research interests include laser spectroscopy of vapors and beams, with emphasis on radiation trapping, excitation and ionization of Rydberg states, optical and ion mass spectroscopy of intermetallic mixtures, laser ablation and deposition of innovative materials, atomic lithography and laser manipulation of neutral atoms.

Main recent involvements in research projects include EU-FP7-MC-IAPP 251391 “Coldbeams” (2010-2014, responsible), COST MP1302 “Nanospectroscopy” (2013-2017, member substitute), CNR-JSPS Japan Bilateral Project “Fluctuation-mediated phonon-assisted nanophotonic fabrication and applications” (2013-2015, responsible), CNR-CNPq Brasil “Nanoscale phenomenon in relaxor ferroelectric thin films” (2012-2014), industrial project with Continental Automotive Pisa (2013-2015, responsible for DIFI), “POLOPTEL” La Fondazione Pisa (2011-2014, responsible for SNOM activity).

He is the coauthor of over 130 papers published in international peer-reviewed and indexed journals, around 20 contributions to indexed volumes, over 100 contributions to conferences (around 20 as invited talks). He has been project reviewer for several institutions such as, EU FP7, ANR (France), EPSRC (UK), KFUPM (Saudi Arabia), SA (Finland), RSFC (Russia), ANVUR (Italy) and referee for many international journals.
He has a long experience in teaching basic and advanced topics and is in charge for teaching Laboratorio di Fisica 2, Fisica Generale per Ing. E-A, Spectroscopy of Nanomaterials for the Materials and Nanotechnology master He has been supervisor of around 20 master and PhD thesis.
He is associated member of INO-CNR, CNISM (local responsible), and CISIM. He is member of “Scuola Ingegneria Univ. Pisa” and of its "Comm. paritetica", member substitute of “Giunta Direttore CISIM”, deputy coordinator of “Scuola Dottorato in Fisica” and deputy director of Diparimento di Fisica.