We are pleased to announce the winner of the Nanomaterials 2022 Young Investigator Award—Dr. Leonardo Ricotti.

Name: Dr. Leonardo Ricotti

Affiliation: The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, 56025 Pisa, Italy

Website: https://www.santannapisa.it/en/leonardo-ricotti

Dr. Leonardo Ricotti graduated with an M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Pisa in 2007 (full marks, cum laude). In 2008, he was hired as a Research Assistant by the CRIM Lab (Center of Research in Micro-bio-robotics) of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA), and he completed a Ph.D. in biorobotics (full marks, cum laude) at the same institution in 2012. He is currently an Associate Professor at the BioRobotics Institute at SSSA, where he leads the Regenerative Technologies Lab. Here, he conducts intense research and educational activities for M.Sc. students of bionics engineering and for Ph.D. students of biorobotics. From the beginning, his scientific research has been characterized by a strongly interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven approach. This has allowed him to carry out research at the interface between different disciplines, including materials science, molecular biology, micro/nanotechnologies, robotics and mechatronics. Nowadays, his research efforts focus on technologies for regenerative medicine, artificial and bioartificial organs and biohybrid robots. His goal is to invent innovative and potentially game-changing solutions in these fields, implementing these in clinical practice and improving the quality of life of a vast number of people.

We would like to thank the award committee for their hard work in the difficult task of selecting a winner from such a large number of exceptional candidates. We also thank all the nominees from various fields for their participation. We will continue to reward young scientists with the Young Investigator Award, and wish them every success in their careers.

For more information about Nanomaterials awards, please refer to the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/awards.

The following is an interview with Dr. Leonardo Ricotti:

1. Can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a 40-year-old biomedical engineer. Together with my research, I love soccer and sports in general and, of course, my family (I am married, and I have a one-year-old daughter). I really hope that my work will contribute to improving the quality of life of a vast number of people worldwide.

2. What are you currently researching, and what made you choose this field?
I work on technologies for regenerative medicine and artificial organs. I lead a group of about 30 people involved in different research projects and dedicated to inventing solutions to regenerate, heal or substitute organs and tissues that have lost their functions. I chose to pursue these research challenges because it is a nice intersection between different disciplines I am interested in (materials science, molecular biology, micro/nanotechnologies, robotics and mechatronics), and it has the potential to have a great impact on our society.

3. Have you had difficulties to overcome in your work? How did you approach those situations?
As with most researchers, I had difficult moments, and I had to overcome several challenges. The most challenging period for me was probably 1-2 years after completing my Ph.D. I was working as a post-doc, and I was writing several grant proposals (investing several days and nights), trying to obtain funding for my research ideas. I failed many times, often narrowly, but I did not give up. After 15-20 (maybe more) unsuccessful attempts, things started to change, and I made my first achievement. Nowadays, my group is well-funded, and we have the resources to pursue many ambitious research activities.

4. What qualities do you think young scientists need?
I would say that resilience is the most important characteristic, which allows difficult periods in which results are not achieved or good ideas are not funded to be overcome. Then, of course, creativity and a rigorous method are also crucial, but they are not sufficient without strong determination, hard work and the ability to not be discouraged when things go wrong.

5. We are an Open Access journal. How do you think Open Access impacts authors?
In recent years, an intense discussion was raised in the scientific community about the advantages and risks of the Open Access model. My group mostly works on projects funded by the European Commission, for which Open Access publications are mandatory. I cannot estimate the impact of Open Access on authors, but surely this model is the most consolidated in the scientific community. It allows researchers from every country to access scientific knowledge without the need for a journal subscription by their university. It also allows non-researchers (e.g., citizens that are simply curious) to access such knowledge. Thus, if properly managed and connected with other tools (e.g., to make the content of a specialistic paper understandable by non-experts), Open Access can help to build scientific culture and awareness in society.

6. As the winner of this award, is there anything else you would like to say or anyone you would like to thank?
I am grateful to my institution, the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, which gave me the opportunity to carry out my research in a stimulating and highly interdisciplinary environment. I thank the Director, Prof. Christian Cipriani, and the Institute’s former Director and founder, Prof. Paolo Dario. They both strongly supported my nomination for this award.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Leonardo Ricotti on his outstanding achievement.