Prof. Luigi Cavallo earned his Ph.D. in 1991 at the University of Naples. From 1994 to 2001 he was an assistant professor of industrial chemistry at the University of Naples. In 2002, he moved as associate professor of industrial chemistry to the University of Salerno. In 2011 he joined the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, where is serves as Professor of Chemistry. He learned DFT in the group directed by Tom Ziegler, University of Calgary, Canada.

Understanding (and possibly solving) problems in catalysis, especially of industrial relevance, is Professor Cavallo’s main activity. His interests span from homogeneous to heterogeneous catalysis. He is also active in the modeling of biological systems, with a focus on fundamental interactions stabilizing nucleic acid structures. His expertise in understanding the mechanics of catalysts at work involves him in several collaborations with colleagues around the world.