52nd Meeting of the Italian Crystallographic Association
8-11 September 2026, Bari
Scientific program
The 52nd AIC meeting offers a rich scientific program, including five plenary lectures, ten microsimposia, and a poster session.
Click to read the complete list of accepted contributions
Selected poster presenters will give a flash presentation of their work. Two poster prizes will be awarded, sponsored by CCDC.
Microsymposia
MS 1 – Perspectives of crystallographic methods and techniques. Marco Milanesio, Enrico Mugnaioli
Keywords: New methods for structure characterization of materials; Innovative approaches in small and large crystallographic facilities; Hardware development; Software for data collection and analysis; Crystal structure and properties predictions; Artificial intelligence in crystallography
Invited speakers:
Paolo Pio Mazzeo (University of Parma, Italy) – Multitechnique approach for the structural characterization of materials
Laura Contini (University of Bologna, Italy) – Data mining as a tool for understanding and predicting solid-state behaviour and properties of molecular materials
MS 2 – Advances in crystal engineering. Valentina Colombo, Ferdinando Costantino
Keywords: Advanced structural characterization; Structure design; Structure/properties relationships; Non-covalent interactions; Co-crystals; Hybrid materials; Coordination polymers; Metal-organic frameworks
Invited speakers:
Len Barbour (Lincoln University, UK) – Unravelling transient porosity: structural insights into flexible porous crystalline materials
Marijana Đaković, (University of Zagreb, Croatia) – Choreographed Flexibility in Molecular Crystals: Atomic-Level Insights into Stimuli-Responsive Coordination Polymers
MS 3 – High-throughput and dynamic studies on biosystems. Rocco Caliandro, Simona Fermani
Keywords: High-throughput and integrative structural biology; Serial protein crystallography; Structural dynamics; Real-time structural studies
Invited speakers:
Daniele De Sanctis (ESRF, France) – Ambient crystallography at the fourth generation synchrotron to resolve protein dynamics on biological timescales
Michele Cianci (Marche Polytechnic University, Italy) – Cryo-EM structure of Homarus americanus α-crustacyanin reveals the astaxanthin molecular tuning in marine invertebrate colouration
MS 4 – From ambient to non-ambient conditions: exploring mineral structures and transformations. Giovanni Orazio Lepore, Paolo Lotti
Keywords: Mineralogy; Crystallography; Disorder; Crystal-chemistry; Crystal structure; Phase transitions; High-pressure; High-/low-temperature
Invited speakers:
Ella M. Schmidt (University of Bremen, Germany) – Disorder in Minerals and Mineral Analogues – A Design Principle for Functional Materials?
Giorgia Confalonieri (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) – Structure-Property Relationships in Zeolites: Crystallographic Insights from Ambient to Non-Ambient Conditions
MS 5 – New frontiers in X-ray sources for materials science. Cinzia Giannini, Vincent Olieric
Keywords: Next‑generation X‑ray sources; Synchrotron radiation; Materials science crystallography; In situ/operando X‑ray diffraction; Multiscale structural characterization; Advanced imaging techniques
Invited speakers:
Nicola Casati (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland) – Evolving diffr-action for materials science at the Swiss light source
Vincenzo Formoso (University of Calabria, Italy) – STAR — A compact inverse compton scattering X-ray Source for multiscale materials characterisation: design, commissioning, and perspectives
MS 6 – Crystal growth, from fundamentals to applications. Rosalba Fittipaldi, Linda Pastero
Keywords: Nucleation; Crystal growth; Kinetics; Thermodynamics; Growth mechanisms; Surfaces; Interfaces; Defectivity; RHEED/LEED; GIXRD; AFM; Functional materials; Thin films; Nanoparticles; Semiconductors; Biomineralization; Polymorphism; Epitaxy; Impurities effects
Invited speakers:
Gianfranco Ulian (University of Bologna, Italy) – Cross-correlated experimental and theoretical characterisation of mineral-biomolecule surface interactions
Liberato Manna (Italian Institute of Technology, Italy) – Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals Heterostructures
MS 7 – The role of applied mineralogy in bridging resources, materials, environment and health. Alessandro Gualtieri, Nicoletta Marinoni
Keywords: Applied mineralogy; Applied crystallography; Industrial materials; Health; Environment
Invited speakers:
Ángeles G. de la Torre (University of Malaga, Spain) – Unlocking the potential of 2:1 clays as supplementary cementitious materials
Alessandro Pacella (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) – Understanding carcinogenic mineral fibers through a mineralogical-crystallographic lens
MS 8 – Protein structures for modeling, function and drug design. Filomena Sica, Paola Storici
Keywords: Macromolecular crystallography; Cryo-EM; Structure-function relationship; Structure based drug design; Structure prediction tools; Molecular modelling and dynamics
Invited speakers:
Enrico Di Cera (Saint Louis University, USA) – Cryo-EM of coagulation factor V
Laura Cendron (University of Padua, Italy) – Structure-guided inhibition of the bacterial SOS response as an anti-virulence strategy
MS 9 – Advanced materials for sustainable energy. Riccardo Fantini, Serena Chiara Tarantino
Keywords: Crystallography and structural characterization of energy materials; In situ, in operando, synchrotron and diffraction-based characterization techniques; Functional materials for energy: batteries, photovoltaics, catalysis, hydrogen; Critical materials for energy and their recovery; Recycling and valorization (Li, Co, Ni, REEs)
Invited speakers:
Elisa Borfecchia (University of Turin, Italy) – Deciphering selective oxidation chemistry in copper-based porous catalysts through X-ray spectroscopy: From zeolites to MOFs
Daniele Callegari (University of Pavia, Italy) – Advanced X-ray characterization into next-generation energy materials: tracking structural evolution in lithium and sodium-ion cathodes
MS 10 – Sharing and disseminating crystallography. Annalisa Guerri, Marta Morana
Keywords: Dissemination; Science communication; Education
Invited speakers:
Consiglia Tedesco (University of Salerno, Italy) – STEAM in action: from educational robotics to materials science
Michele Zema (University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy) – Crystallography as a vehicle for stimulating research and education on a global scale