Gabriella Di Genova

about me

My interdisciplinary work combines the fields of chemistry, theoretical chemistry and astrophysics to tackle some of the open questions of astrochemistry with the ultimate goal to learn about fundamental chemical processes in our Universe. Check out my Research page.

My research has taken me across multiple international institutions, allowing me to collaborate with leading experts in theoretical chemistry and astrophysics. In early 2025, I conducted research at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) with Albert Rimola, focusing on the characterization of structures and energetics of interstellar grains. Previously, in 2024, I worked at the Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) in France with Cecilia Ceccarelli, where I used theoretical models for astrochemical reactions. I also spent time at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in 2023, beginning my work on interstellar grain modeling with Albert Rimola. Earlier in 2023, I conducted research at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) with Gunnar Nyman, investigating the formation of astrochemically relevant molecules via radiative association. Additionally, I started my collaboration with Cecilia Ceccarelli at IPAG on theoretical modeling of astrochemical reactions. During my Master's studies in 2022, I worked at Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (France), collaborating with Aude Simon on understanding the role of metals in stardust formation. These international experiences have broadened my expertise and reinforced my interdisciplinary approach to astrochemistry.

When I'm not unraveling the mysteries of the Universe or exploring new places, you’ll find me in the kitchen preparing meals for friends and family or taking care of my beloved animals.

research

Di Genova, Gabriella., N. Balucani, C. Ceccarelli, M. Rosi, and G. Nyman, “Radiative association formation of AlO, a candidate seed of dust nucleation.,” in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2025.

Di Genova, Gabriella., N. Balucani, L. Mancini, M. Rosi, S. Dimitrios, and C. Ceccarelli, “Gas-phase formation routes of dimethyl sulfide in the interstellar medium.,” in Astronomy & Astrophysics , 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.16236

Di Genova, Gabriella, J. Perrero, M. Rosi, C. Ceccarelli, A. Rimola, and N. Balucani, “Hot Sulfur on the Rocks: The Reaction of Electronically Excited Sulfur Atoms with Water in an Ice-Surface Model” in ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2025. doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00351

R. Dahmani, C. Alauzet, Di Genova, Gabriella, F. Spiegelman, and A. Simon, “Adsorption of silver clusters on naphthalene: Theoretical insights into structural, energetic, electronic, and infrared properties,” ACS Publications, 2025. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.5c00436

M. Rosi, D. Campisi, Di Genova, Gabriella, O. Gervasi, C. Ceccarelli, N. Balucani, “NaO + HCl reaction: a potential formation route of NaCl in the interstellar medium.” in International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, Springer, 2025.

A. Giustini, Di Genova, Gabriella, N. Balucani, C. Ceccarelli, A. Rimola, P. Ugliengo, “Formation routes of interstellar metal oxides: A computational chemistry approach” in International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, Springer, 2025.

L. Giani, M. Šimsová née Zámečníková, Di Genova, Gabriella, C. Ceccarelli, N. Balucani, and G. Nyman, “Isotope effect on the formation of CN by radiative association reactions,” in AIP Advances, vol. 14, 2024. doi: 10.1063/5.0192682

A. Giustini, Di Genova, Gabriella, N. Balucani, C. Ceccarelli, M. Rosi, and A. Lombardi, “Theoretical Insights on the S(1D) + H2O Reaction and Implications on the Chemistry at the Surface of Ice in Extraterrestrial Environments” in International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, Springer, 2024, pp. 274–282. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-65343-8_19

A. Giustini, Di Genova, Gabriella, D. Skouteris, C. Ceccarelli, M. Rosi, and N. Balucani, “Gas-Phase and Model Ice-Surface Reactions of S(1D) with Water and Methanol: A Computational Investigation and Implications for Cosmochemistry/Astrochemistry” in ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, vol. 8, 2024, pp. 2318–2333. doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.4c00229

outreach

Here you can find the recording of one of my recent oral presentations.

List of the last conferences and schools I attended:

“EPSC, Europlanet Science Congress 2024” Berlin, Germany 8-13/09/2024, Selected Oral contribution. https://www.epsc2024.eu/.

“IMAMPC’2024 – 13th International Meeting on Atomic and Molecular Physics and Chemistry” Warsaw, Poland 9-12/07/2024, Selected Oral contribution. https://www.imampc2024.pl/.

“Quantumgrain Workshop: Emerging Horizons in the Chemistry of the Universe” Barcelona, Spain 9-12/06/2024, Selected Oral contribution. https://workshop.quantumgrain.eu/.

“EGU General Assembly 2024” Vienna, Austria 14-19/04/2024, Selected Oral contribution. https://www.egu24.eu/.

“XIX Congresso Nazionale di Scienze Planetarie” Bormio, Italy 5-9/02/2024, Selected Oral contribution. https://www.scienzeplanetarie.it/congresso-nazionale-bormio-2024/.

“School of Scientific Communication in Astronomy” Bertinoro, Italy 2-6/10/2023. https://andymelandri.wixsite.com/scia2023.

“SECSmol - Southern European Conference on the Science of Molecules” Perugia, Italy 27-29/09/2023, Selected Oral contribution. http://www.dcbb.unipg.it/en/secsmol.

“DCTC - VIII Congresso Nazionale della Divisione di Chimica Teorica e Computazionale della SCI” Pisa, Italy 20-22/09/2023, Selected Oral contribution. https://www.skies-village.it/dctc2023/".

“ACO - Chemical Processes in Solar-type Star-Forming Regions” Tolouse, France 5-9/06/2023, Poster contribution. https://aco-conference2023.sciencesconf.org/.

Contact

You can contact me here

Email: gabriella.digenova@dottorandi.unipg.it

Phone number: +39 3280253978

Address: Via Elce di Sotto 8, Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Perugia - 06121 (Italy)

Elements

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