Dr. Dritan SILIQI , Institute of Crystallography - CNR, Italy
Dritan, since 1992, works as a staff scientist at the IC-CNR, initially as close collaborator of Prof Carmelo Giacovazzo, a worldwide known crystallographer, spending a part of is carrier on developing of the phasing techniques to solve the macromolecules structure from X-ray and neutron diffraction data. He is co-author of a software package for a global phasing for proteins: ILMILIONE [Burla et al., J. Appl. Cryst. (2007), 40, 609-613 with more than 600 citations]
Currently as the head of the Bio-crystallization Lab, Dritan is involved in several projects related to the studies, combining different techniques as macromolecular crystallography (MX), Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) devoted to structural insights of proteins involved in rare diseases (Shwachman Diamond Syndrome, cystic fibrosis), Intracellular Region of the Human Magnesium Transport Mediator CNNM4, Interdomain conformational flexibility of UGGT (the eukaryotic glycoprotein secretion checkpoint).
Dritan, as research in XMI@LAB is involved on using X-ray scanning (in small/wide angle) microscopies for structural/morphological characterization of nanostructured bio- materials. He is the main scientist developer for package SUNBIM [Siliqi et al., J. Appl. Cryst. (2016). 49, 1107–1114 6], a package to deal with these issues.
During his carrier as staff scientist at IC-CNR, he was researcher visitor on several laboratories/Institutions as in : PCS – Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), USA; Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) Villigen, Switzerland; European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg, Germany, Institut für Physik der kondensierten Materie. Lehrstuhl für Kristallographie und Strukturphysik Erlangen, Germany; Diamond Light Source Ltd. Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire,United Kingdom; ISIS – Neutron and Muon Source Science and Technology Facilities Council Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
Dritan, has been invited lecture (or as organizer) in different international school/workshop/seminar on SAXS applied on biomolecules.
His research activity is presented in about 110 scientific publications, 4 chapters of books and several communications as oral and poster contributions, and participations in congresses.
He is member of Editor Board Section of Crystals Journal (MDPI) and Guest Editor for the Crystals Special Issue “Small and Wide Angle X-ray Scattering Applied to Nano- and Biomaterials”.
Dr. Angela Altomare, Institute of Crystallography - CNR, Italy
Angela since 1988 has worked as a researcher at the Institute of Crystallography of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) in Bari, initially collaborating with Prof. Carmelo Giacovazzo. As first researcher, she oversees a team whose research is focused on several scientific objectives, including the development of innovative crystallographic methodologies aimed at structural solution from single crystal and powder diffraction data, the development of new computational algorithms and their implementation in crystallographic software, the structural characterization by single crystal diffraction data and microcrystalline powder, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of multiphase mixture by powder diffraction.
In 2019 Angela was the recipient of the ‘Mario Mammi’ Award of the Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC).
In 1999, Angela was the recipient of the AIC Prize for the activity and the original and innovative research results in the field of crystallographic methodologies, both theoretical and applicative and for the work on the association activities.
She is Section Editor of Acta Crystallographica Section A and, since 2014, Co-Editor.
Angela has been invited speaker, teacher and chairman of microsymposia, as well as member of program committee at several national and international meetings and schools.
She was Chair of the Scientific Organizing Committee of the International Crystallography School organized by the Commission on Crystallographic Teaching of AIC, held in Bari, 2018, in collaboration with research teams of CNR and University of Bari.
She was Chair of the 15th European Powder Diffraction Conference, held in Bari, 2016.
Angela actively serves as a member in the Commission on Powder Diffraction of the International Union of Crystallography, European Powder Diffraction Conference Committee, AIC, and the President Council of AIC.
Her research activity is presented in about 120 scientific publications, 9 chapters of books and several communications as oral and poster contributions, and participations in congresses.
Angela Altomare is widely recognized throughout the scientific community for her work and research in the Crystallography field, also by co-authoring 12 crystallographic computing programs worldwide used, and having nearly 26,000 citations.