about LORETA

Prof. Loreta A. Muscarella has a background in Inorganic and Physical Chemistry. She obtained her B.Sc. and M.Sc. (cum laude) from Sapienza Università di Roma. During her M.Sc., she spent seven months at the University of Amsterdam, where she investigated the role of metal ion doping in mixed-halide perovskites to enhance stability and optoelectronic properties for solar cell applications.

In 2018, she pursued her passion for materials science by undertaking a PhD in Physics at AMOLF (Netherlands), under the supervision of Bruno Ehrler. Her research focused on the structure–optoelectronic property relationships in 3D and 2D lead-halide perovskites, with particular attention to mechanically strained thin films.
After completing her PhD in 2022, she joined Utrecht University as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Eline Hutter, focusing on the solid-state synthesis of layered double perovskites. During this period, she was awarded the NWO Open Competition Domain Science – XS grant to develop sustainable perovskite-based photocatalysts for indoor pollution remediation, the Distinguished Women Scientists Fund from the Landelijk Netwerk Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren, and mention of honors for the Christiaan Huygens prize, a prestigious Dutch prize for young researchers who have made innovative doctoral contributions in physics.
Following a brief experience as an Innovation and Funding Consultant at PNO Chemistry, she joined the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as an Assistant Professor in January 2024. In 2025, she was again awarded an NWO XS grant to develop metal-free perovskites for self-powered medical devices, such as pacemakers. In 2026, she was promoted to Associate Professor and moved to the University of Palermo.

Her research group integrates advanced spectroscopy and compositional engineering to explore the response of perovskite-based materials to external stimuli such as pressure, light, and temperature. The group focuses on lead-free and metal-free perovskites (all-organic perovskites)—a largely underexplored class of materials with significant potential.
By combining fundamental insights with the lightweight, flexible, and biocompatible nature of these materials, her work aims to enable the next generation of smart materials, including piezoelectric, photo-active, and chromo-responsive systems. These materials are promising for applications in wearable electronics, self-powered sensors, bionics, and transient optoelectronics.
In particular, her research explores the piezo-phototronic effect to enhance device performance, while advancing multi-functional materials capable of acting as multi-sensors and multi-source energy harvesters, where both light and mechanical stress contribute to improved energy conversion efficiency, supporting the energy transition.