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What do you teach at Ca’ Foscari? What are your main research interests?
I graduated in Chemical Engineering and did my MSc in Engineering in Brazil, then got my PhD in (analytical) chemistry in Venice. I am now an associate professor of analytical chemistry. My research interest is in electroanalytics, with a focus on electrochemical sensors and biosensors for analytes relevant to environment, medicine, food, and cultural heritage. I am passionate about the complexity of electrochemistry and when you understand why certain processes take place in a certain way, it is very satisfying. Of course complexity is always a challenge and there are many tough moments, but this applies to all scientific research.

What has given you the greatest satisfaction in your career?
My greatest professional satisfactions have been in the feedback I have received from the thousands of students I have had in my long career. I really enjoy teaching, especially teaching science, and this feedback has made me realise that my messages, not only scientific but also human and ethical, have been received.

What's an area you have always wanted to be involved in but have not yet had the opportunity to explore?
There are many areas I am interested in. As a very curious person, I like to understand how 'things work', and how to explain the many phenomena I observe in nature, art and science in general.

What do teaching and researching mean to you?
Researching for me means putting our intelligence and passion at the service of the development of global knowledge. Teaching means sharing the knowledge and expertise developed in research to train new thinkers, researchers, professionals and people to advance science and culture for the benefit of all.

What do you say to young people, and girls especially, approaching research today?
I would tell them that it is a beautiful thing and that it requires passion, courage and dedication, but that it is a world where you feel that your work is a small (or large) brick in the construction of knowledge that benefits everyone. I would also tell them that you can never ignore the ethical values in research, the results of which are the heritage of humanity.
It is true that there is still gender inequality, but a lot has changed in this area since the beginning of my university career. After centuries or more of male 'domination' we cannot expect an immediate radical change. But, if you look, in science the strength of women's expertise and dedication is increasingly evident. It is essential to dedicate yourself to your job, to be good at it and not to give up when things get tough.