Materials Science and Metallurgy
3 September 2026
Dr Stefano Racioppi has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant to establish an independent research programme in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy. ERC Starting Grants support outstanding early-career researchers in developing ambitious research projects and establishing their own independent research teams.
Stefano is currently a Research Associate in Professor Chris Pickard’s group. His research lies at the interface of theoretical chemistry, condensed-matter physics and materials science, with a particular focus on matter under extreme conditions.
The five-year project, entitled “Quantum Theory of the Periodic Tables Under Extreme Conditions – QUANTEX”, will investigate how the fundamental rules governing chemistry change when matter is subjected to extreme pressures.
Using quantum-mechanical calculations, Stefano will study the chemistry of the elements under conditions very different from those at the Earth’s surface. The research will provide new ways of predicting materials with unusual properties and improve our understanding of planetary interiors.
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