
Chiara
Trovatello
she/her
Born and raised in Siracusa, Italy, Chiara Trovatello moved to Milan, Italy, at the age of 18 for her studies in Engineering Physics and her PhD in Physics. She is now Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Milano and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow at Columbia University in New York, USA, and at the University of Vienna, Austria.
Chiara passionately advocates for open science, ethical research, equal representation and opportunities in STEM.
In 2024 she was awarded the lifetime title of Optica Ambassador.
About
Chiara Trovatello received the Master of Science in Engineering Physics with 110/110 cum laude from Politecnico di Milano, Italy (2016). CT did the PhD within the European Graphene Flagship under the supervision of Prof. Giulio Cerullo and Prof. Stefano Dal Conte, and received the title of PhD in Physics cum laude (2020), with a doctoral thesis entitled “Ultrafast Spectroscopy of 2D Materials and Related Heterostructures”.
During the PhD, CT visited the University of Wurzburg in Germany (March 2018), and she was granted with a Marie Curie RISE Fellowship to visit Columbia University (March-September 2019), in the City of New York, NY, USA.
In 2022, CT joined the group of Prof. P. James Schuck at Columbia University as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist. In 2023, CT was awarded with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship (PIONEER) to conduct her independent research activity at Columbia University and at the University of Vienna. The goal of PIONEER is developing and characterizing novel low-dimensional platforms for compact nonlinear and quantum optics, based on engineered stacks of layered semiconductors.

CT is author of >25 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 2 patents. She attended >30 international conferences (CLEO EU and US, MRS, SPIE Photonics West, Ultrafast Phenomena, etc.), contributing with invited, oral and poster presentations. CT is also part of organizing committees for leading international conferences such as MRS and CLEO. In 2025 CT joined the Early Career Editorial Board of Nano Letters.
Active member of several scientific societies: Optica, EPS, SPIE, MRS, APS, IEEE and SIF, Chiara Trovatello was the founder and the former president of the Optica Student Chapter of Milan, Founder and Member of the EPS Young Minds section of Milano. From 2024 she continues her strong leadership and mentorship activity as an Optica Ambassador. Chiara Trovatello served as postdoc representative on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Columbia University (2023-2024). Within the Chapter and beyond, CT passionately advocates for open science, ethical research, equal representation and opportunities in STEM.
Selected Publications
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Quasi-phase-matched up- and down-conversion in periodically poled layered semiconductors”, Nature Photonics, 19, 291–299 (2025)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-024-01602-z.
Highlighted on the Cover of Nature Photonics.
Z. H. Peng, M. Cotrufo, D. Xu, S. A. Mann, S. Qiu, D. N. Basov, M. Delor, A. Alù, P. J. Schuck, Chiara Trovatello “3R-stacked transition metal dichalcogenide non-local metasurface for efficient second-harmonic generation”, Nature Photonics (2025).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01781-3
F. J. Garcia de Abajo et al. “Roadmap for Photonics with 2D Materials”, ACS Photonics, 12, 3961-4095 (2025).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.5c00353
D. Xu, Z. H. Peng, Chiara Trovatello et al. “Spatiotemporal imaging of nonlinear optics in van der Waals waveguides”, Nature Nanotechnology (2025).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01849-1.
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Quasi-phase-matched up- and down-conversion in periodically poled layered semiconductors”, Nature Photonics, 19, 291–299 (2025)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-024-01602-z.
Chiara Trovatello, A. Marini, M. Cotrufo, A. Alù, P. J. Schuck & G. Cerullo “Tunable Optical Nonlinearities in Layered Materials”, ACS Photonics, 11, 8, 2860–2873 (2024).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.4c00521.
F. Mooshammer, X. Xu, Chiara Trovatello et al. “Enabling Waveguide Optics in Rhombohedral-Stacked Transition Metal Dichalcogenides with Laser-Patterned Grating Couplers”, ACS Nano, 18, 5, 4118–4130 (2024).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c08522.
C. Sayers, A. Genco, Chiara Trovatello et al. “Strong Coupling of Coherent Phonons to Excitons in Semiconducting Monolayer MoTe2″, Nano Letters, 23, 20, 9235–9242 (2023).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01936.
X. Xu, Chiara Trovatello et al. “Towards compact phase-matched and waveguided nonlinear optics in atomically layered semiconductors”, Nature Photonics, 16, 698–706 (2022).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-022-01053-4.
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Disentangling Many-Body Effects in the Coherent Optical Response of 2D Semiconductors”. Nano Letters, 22, 13, 5322-5329 (2022).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c01309.
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Ultrafast hot carrier transfer in WS2/graphene large area heterostructures”. npj 2D Materials and Application, 6, 24 (2022).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41699-022-00299-4.
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Hyperspectral microscopy of two-dimensional semiconductors”. Optical Materials: X, 14, 100145 (2022).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omx.2022.100145.
O. Dogadov, Chiara Trovatello et al. “Parametric Nonlinear Optics with Layered Materials and Related Heterostructures”. Laser & Photonics Reviews, 2100726 (2021).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lpor.202100726.
D. Li, Chiara Trovatello, et al. “Exciton-phonon coupling strength in single-layer MoSe2 at room temperature”, Nature Communications, 12, 954 (2021).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-20895-0.
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Optical parametric amplification by monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides”, Nature Photonics, 15, 10–16 (2021).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-020-00728-0.
Chiara Trovatello, et al. “The ultrafast onset of exciton formation in 2D semiconductors”, Nature Communications, 11, 5277 (2020).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18835-5.
Chiara Trovatello et al. “Strongly coupled coherent phonons in single-layer MoS2”, ACS Nano, 14, 5700–5710 (2020).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c00309.
S. Dal Conte, Chiara Trovatello, C. Gadermaier and G. Cerullo, “Ultrafast Photophysics of 2D Semiconductors and Related Heterostructures”, Trends in Chemistry, 2, 28–42 (2020).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trechm.2019.07.007.
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Membership of Scientific Societies
The Optical Society (Optica, formerly OSA) 2018–Current
European Physical Society (EPS) 2018–Current
Italian Physical Society (SIF) 2020–Current
IEEE Photonics Society 2020–Current
The international society for optics and photonics (SPIE) 2021–Current
Prizes, Awards and Grants
PIERS Young Scientist Award (YSA) | 2025
Chiara Trovatello is recipient of the 2025 Young Scientist Award of PIERS, a global symposium committed to advancing photonics and electromagnetics for the benefit of humanity, in the Sector “Metamaterials, Plasmonics and Complex Media”, for her work on “Ultracompact Nonlinear Platforms Based on van der Waals Semiconductors for Classical and Quantum States of Light“.
Optica Foundation Challenge | 2024
Chiara Trovatello is recipient of the 2024 Optica Foundation Challenge Award. The US$100,000 prize honors exceptional ideas that harness optics and photonics to address global challenges. Optica Foundation Challenges drive new, impactful scientific discoveries with the potential to transform our world. Chiara Trovatello has received the US$100,000 prize to address the challenge of integrating miniaturized entangled photon sources directly on chip.
Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientists | 2024
Chiara Trovatello, Ph.D., nominated by Columbia University, is awarded the Blavatnik Regional Award Finalist Prize for Young Scientists 2024 (USD 10.000) for developing new nano-engineered material platforms for optical computing, a critical step towards innovative imaging and information processing methods in quantum technologies.
L’Oréal Italia-UNESCO for Women in Science Prize | 2024
Dr. Chiara Trovatello is recipient of the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women and Science Prize 2024. The 20.000 Euro award supports young, female scientists who are working in physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering and technologies.
Optica Ambassador | Class of 2024
Optica Ambassadors provide career advice, technical knowledge and mentorship with students and early career professionals in the field by supporting professional development events at meetings and engaging with their communities. Dr. Chiara Trovatello is recognized for the outreach and mentoring activities she has conducted as founder and former president of the Optica Chapter of Milan and as volunteer within and beyond the Optica community.
ISSNAF Young Investigator Award | 08/11/2023
Established in 2022 by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), this award honors the memory of Prof. Bruno Touschek for his pioneering work in the fields of elementary particle physics and particle accelerators. It recognizes contributions in the fields of fundamental interactions of matter, such as elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, cosmology and the physics of particle beams. Chiara Trovatello is recognized for her contribution to bridge microscopic and macroscopic nonlinear optics using highly nonlinear layered materials.
Best Lightning Talk | 26/09/2023
Lightning Talk Workshop, EFRC-Hub-CMS-CCS Principal Investigators’ Meeting, Department of Energy (DOE)
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship | 01/03/2023-28/02/2026 (36M)
Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (EUR 265.099) to support the researcher’s career and foster excellence in research. As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow, Chiara Trovatello independently continues her research aimed at developing nanoscale platforms for nonlinear optics and quantum optics at Columbia University, NY, USA (18M), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (6M), and Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy (12M).
Bernard J. Couillaud Prize 2022 | 18/05/2022
The Optica Foundation and Coherent, Inc. partnered to create the Bernard J. Couillaud Prize, a merit-based award (USD 25,500) for an early career professional to pursue a compelling and innovative project that has the potential to make a meaningful and positive impact on the science and applications of ultrafast lasers. Chiara Trovatello is recognized for the challenges and innovative solutions associated with her work in Optical Parametric Oscillators and Amplifiers.
Optica Foundation and the Incubic/Milton Chang Travel Fund | 11/05/2020-15/05/2020
Presenter Fee Grant at CLEO US 2020, Online, USA
Marie Skłodowska-Curie RISE Fellowship | 03/2019-09/2019
Visiting Scientist Fellowship (EUR 14.000) in support of the six-month exchange at Columbia University (New York, NY, USA). The action contributes to excellent research, boosting jobs, growth and investment by training researchers for new knowledge and skills. It fosters research cooperation across borders, sectors and disciplines.
PhD Grant Winner | 05/02/2018-10/02/2018
Graphene Study, Obergurgl, Austria, EU
Best Poster Prize | 25/06/2017-30/06/2017
Graphene Study, Gothenburg, Sweden, EU
PhD Grant Winner | 25/06/2017-30/06/2017
Graphene Study, Gothenburg, Sweden, EU
PhD Grant Winner | 26/03/2017-31/03/2017
Graphene2017, Barcelona, Spain, EU
International Conferences, Lectures and Seminars
Keynote
DokDok | Abbe School of Photonics | Eisenach (Germany) | 08/2025
Invited Talks
Upcoming: 2D TMDs | Singapore | 06/2026
Upcoming: MRS Spring | Honolulu (Hawaii) | 04/2026
Upcoming: 4th colloquium on nonlinear optics and metasurfaces | Brescia (Italy) | 04/2026
Upcoming: SPIE Photonics Europe | Strasbourg (France) | 04/2026
SPIE Photonics West | San Francisco (USA) | 01/2026
Waves in Time Varying Media | Madrid (Spain) | 05/2025
PIERS | Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) | 05/2025
Photonics West | San Francisco (California, USA) | 01/2025
MRS Fall Meeting | Boston (Massachusetts, USA) | 12/2024
IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC) 2024 | Rome (Italy) | 11/2024
European Optical Society Annual Meeting (EOSAM) 2024 | Naples (Italy) | 09/2024
MetaFUN Forefront of Ultrafast Nanophotonics | Palermo (Italy) | 23-26/07/2024
OPTICA Nonlinear Optics Topical Meeting | Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) | 10-13/07/2023
CLEO US 2023 | San Jose (California, USA) | 07-12/05/2023
OPTICA Advanced Photonic Congress | Maastrict (Netherlands, EU) | 07/2022
SIF 2020 | Online | 14–18/09/2020
Invited Lectures
Distinguished speaker at “The Photonics Spectrum 2024” hybrid workshop | Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), Delhi (India) | 05/08/2024 | Lecture title: “Exploring the nonlinear optical properties of 2D materials” [1.5 hours]
EUSpeclab/PSI Spectroscopy School | Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland (Switzerland) | 17/04/2024 | Lecture title: “Exploring the nonlinear optical response of 2D semiconductors” [1.5 hours]
Course lead by Prof. J. Hone and Prof. J. Schuck “Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering”, Columbia University | New York (NY, USA) | 05/2023 | Lecture title: “Nonlinear optics and its application to 2D semiconductors” [3 hours]
Intensive Course in Layered Materials and Applications: Hellenic Mediterranean University | Crete (Greece, EU) | 13/07/2021 | Lecture title: “Ultrafast Spectroscopy of 2D semiconductors” [1.5 hours]
Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich (LMU) | Munich (Germany, EU) | 19/05/2021 | Lecture title: “Exploring the nonlinear optical properties and the out-of-equilibrium optical response of 2D semiconductors” [1.5 hours]
Invited Seminars
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Electrical and MicroEngineering (Prof. Ileana-Cristina Benea-Chelmus Group) | Distinguished speaker | Lausanne (Switzerland) | 19/11/2024
Stanford University, Department of Applied Physics (Prof. Tony Heinz Group) | Palo Alto (California, USA) | 02/05/2024 | “Quasi-phase-matched up- and down-conversion in periodically poled layered semiconductors”.
Elettra Synchrotron Trieste (Prof. Daniele Fausti Group) | Trieste (Italy, EU) | 06/11/2019 | “Ultrafast Spectroscopy of 2D semiconductors and related heterostructures”.
TU University Wien (Prof. Florian Libisch Group) | Wien (Austria, EU) | 20/12/2018 | “Ultrafast spectroscopy of 2D materials and related heterostructures”.
Molecular Foundry of Berkeley (Host: Dr. Nick Borys) | Berkeley (California, USA) | 19/05/2018 | “Temporal dynamics of the Coulomb screening in a 2D semiconductor”.
Contributed Talks
CLEO EU 2025 | Munich (Germany) | 06/2025
Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2024 | Denver (Colorado, USA) | 09/2024
Ultrafast Phenomena 2024 | Barcelona (Spain, EU) | 07/2024
CLEO USA | Charlotte (North Carolina, USA) | 05/2024
MRS Spring Meeting | Seattle (Washington, USA) | 04/2024
APS March Meeting | Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA) | 03/2024
CLEO EU 2023 | Munich (Germany) | 26-30/06/2023
CLEO EU 2023 | Munich (Germany) | 26-30/06/2023
MRS Fall 2022 | Boston (Massachusetts, USA) | 27/11–2/12/2022
Ultrafast Phenomena | Montreal (Canada) | 07/2022
APS March Meeting | Chicago (Illinois, USA) | 03/2022
CLEO EU 2021 | Online | 21–25/06/2021
Photonics West 2021 | Online | 6–11/03/2021
Photonics Online Meetup (POM) 2020 | Online | 25/06/2020
CLEO USA 2020 | San Jose (California, USA) | 11–15/05/2020
MRS Fall 2019 | Boston (Massachussets, USA) | 1–6/12/2019
Graphene Week 2019 | Helsinki (Finland, EU) | 23–27/09/2019
CLEO EU 2019 | Munich (Germany, EU) | 23–27/06/2019
CLEO USA 2019 | San Jose (California, USA) | 5–10/05/2019
Flatlands beyond graphene | Leipzig (Germany, EU) | 3–7/09/2018
Ultrafast Phenomena | Hamburg (Germany, EU) | 17–22/07/2018
Graphene2018 | Dresden (Germany, EU) | 26–29/06/2018
CLEO USA 2018 | San Jose (California, USA) | 13–18/05/2018
ECONOS 2018 | Milan (Italy, EU) | 8–11/04/2018
Posters
CLEO EU 2019 | Munich (Germany, EU) | 23–27/06/2019
Graphene Study 2018 | Obergurgl (Austria, EU) | 5–10/02/2018
Flatlands beyond graphene | Lausanne (Switzerland) | 29/08–01/09/2017
Graphene2017 | Barcelona (Spain, EU) | 26–31/03/2017
Graphene Study 2017 | Gothenburg (Sweden, EU), 25–30/06/2017, Best poster prize!
Scientific Committees
CLEO/EQEC 2025 – Munich, Germany, EU | 23-27/06/2025
Organizing Program Committee EI: “Low-dimensional materials for photonics and opto-electronics”
Bernard J. Couillaud Prize 2025
Selection Committee
Optica Women Scholars 2025
Review Committee
Bernard J. Couillaud Prize 2024
Selection Committee
Optica Women Scholars 2024
Review Committee
MRS Spring Meeting 2024 – Seattle, Washington, USA | 20-26/04/2024
Organizing Program Committee: “Ultrafast Light-Matter Interactions in Quantum Materials”
CLEO/EQEC 2023 – Munich, Germany, EU | 26-30/06/2023
Organizing Program Committee EI: “Two Dimensional and Novel Materials”
Bernard J. Couillaud Prize 2023
Selection Committee
Leadership and Scientific Outreach
Optica Ambassador
Class of 2024 | Lifetime title
Columbia University – Dept. of Mechanical Engineering DEI Committee
Postdoc Representative | 2023-2024
Optica Student Chapter of Milan
Founder and Former President | 2019-2022
EuMOS International Online Conference
Organizer and Chair of the session “Fundamentals of Optical Sensing” | 23/03/2021
Photonics Online Meetup Online Conference
Organizer of the streaming hub at Politecnico di Milano | 13/01/2020
EPS Young Minds Career Event at CLEO (EU) – Munich, Germany, EU
Organizer, in collab. with Araceli Venegas Gomez | 27/06/2019
EPS Young Minds section of Milan
Founder and Former Member | 2019-2022
Press & Media
Women in STEM Podcast – Episode 056 with Dr. Hannah Roberts (ENG) | 2024
ISSNAF – Chiara Trovatello, winner of 2023 ISSNAF YI Bruno Touschek Award (ENG) | 2023
Columbia Quantum Initiative – Postdoc Chiara Trovatello Named 2024 Optica Ambassador (ENG) | 2023
Columbia Quantum Initiative – A Lightning Win For Layered Materials (ENG) | 2023
Columbia Quantum Initiative – Quantum Q&A With Postdoc Chiara Trovatello (ENG) | 2022
Columbia Engineering – Microscopic Color Converters Move Small Laser-Based Devices Closer to Reality (ENG) | 2022
Coherent Inc. – Interview to Dr. C. Trovatello, 2022 Winner of the Bernard J. Couillaud Prize (ENG) | 2022
National TV, Channel 5, TG5 – Interview (ITA) | 2021
Graphene Flagship – Best Poster Prize, Graphene Study 2017 (ENG) | 2017




