Rate My Professor Massimo Bertino

Massimo F. Bertino is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he joined in 2007. He serves as Director of the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Ph.D. Program and Director of the Nanomaterials Core Characterization Facility. Bertino earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Göttingen in 1996 and his BASc in Physics from the University of Milan in 1991. His research centers on experimental condensed matter physics, encompassing the synthesis of metal and polymer nanostructures with high aspect ratio, silica aerogel/nanoparticle composites for catalytic and electronic applications, and cluster-biomolecule composites. He investigates the electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of metals, alloys, and semiconductors, along with defects in materials such as GaN and ZnO.

Bertino has advanced translational research through innovative aerogel production methods that eliminate the hazardous supercritical drying process, enabling safer, more cost-effective manufacturing using common chemicals and equipment. These lightweight, flame-proof aerogels provide superior thermal insulation at one-fifth the thickness of traditional materials like expanded polystyrene, with potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions. His contributions include patented technologies (US 10,414,894 B2 and US 11,046,830 B2), licensed to startup companies, and he holds the position of Chief Technology Officer at ThermaGEL Innovations, Inc., a VCU spin-off. Bertino received the 2024 Billy R. Martin Innovator of the Year award at VCU, the first physicist so honored in its 17-year history, and was elected a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors in 2022 for his impactful nanoparticle and nanocomposite inventions supported by federal grants. Key publications include "Analysis of Lipsticks Using Raman Spectroscopy" (Forensic Science International, 2013), "Synthesis of multiphasic inhomogeneous Mo/MoC nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation" (Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 2013), and "Computational and experimental prediction of dust production in pebble bed reactors, Part II" (Nuclear Engineering and Design, 2013).