Our group is an international and excellence-oriented research team aiming at shaping contemporary and future organic chemistry.
Our mission is the discovery and the development of new, creative, and unconventional synthetic tools based on niobium catalysis. The group is focused on the development of catalytic synthetic methods for molecular manipulation with particular focus on the activation and transformation of the hydrocarbon skeleton of organic molecules.
We are greatly interested in the mechanistic understanding of the reactions we develop and we keep an eye on all the most recent technology to extend our chemistry to other branches of science, creating a multidisciplinary network to find solution to real-world problems.
Our team is extremely motivated to maintain an intellectually sparkling environment wherein diversity and rigor are the greatest resources at our disposal. Therefore, we are constantly seeking for highly motivated candidates for PhD and postdoc positions to join our team, welcoming people from any ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual and political orientation.
Current members
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Lorenzo Cavallari (PhD): ​I come from Bologna (Italy), where I completed my BSc degree in Chemistry. In my final year, I worked on the alkylation of enolates with tiantrenium salts under the supervision of Prof. Andrea Gualandi. I then obtained my MSc degree in Chemistry at the University of Bologna, working in the group of Prof. Marco Lombardo on the development of oligopeptides containing α,α-disubstituted β-homoprolines. In November 2025, I started my PhD project in the Romano group, focussing on the development of homogeneous niobium redox catalysis. In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, reading, and travelling.