Attilio Marino is a Researcher in the Smart Bio-Interfaces group at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). He received his Ph.D. in Biorobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, with a final grade of 100/100 summa cum laude, with a thesis entitled “Nanoparticles and Nanostructured Surfaces as Smart Solutions for the Modulation of Cellular Functions.” During his doctoral studies, he spent six months as a visiting Ph.D. student at the Waseda Bioscience Research Institute in Singapore. He subsequently joined IIT as a postdoctoral fellow supported by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi.
Dr. Marino obtained the Italian National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor in Applied Physics and Associate Professor in Bioengineering, valid from 2018 to 2030.
His research focuses on innovative nanomedicine, particularly for oncology, including superparamagnetic nanomedicines, near-infrared-responsive nanotheranostics, and stimuli-responsive piezoelectric polymeric nanocarriers. His interests also encompass tissue engineering, biophysics, and biology under altered-gravity conditions. His work includes biomimetic in vitro platforms for drug screening, microfluidic 3D blood–brain barrier models, smart self-assembling 3D co-culture systems, experiments aboard the International Space Station, and collaborations with the European and Italian Space Agencies.
He is the author or co-author of 86 ISI-indexed publications, five patents, six book chapters, and 32 conference proceedings. He has reviewed manuscripts for more than 30 international journals and has served as an evaluator for ERC Starting Grant and Marie Skłodowska-Curie proposals. He is also a Review Editor for Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.
Dr. Marino has delivered 11 invited talks/lectures and 15 additional presentations at international conferences, workshops, science festivals, and public-engagement events. His research has received several national and international awards. He previously served as Adjunct Professor in Bioengineering at Università Telematica Pegaso and has delivered seminars at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Politecnico di Torino, the University of Genoa, and the University of Pisa. He has directly supervised nine M.Sc. students and five Ph.D. students.
Dr. Marino also contributed to the Kidaria Bioscience technology-transfer project, which led to the creation of an innovative startup based on IIT-patented technologies of which he is a co-inventor. He supported its early development as an administrator, collaborator, and partner, contributing to product development and investor engagement.
