Head of the NanoBioPhysics Lab
Prof Antonio Benedetto
I am an experimental physicist & biophysicist. The main focus of my research is on the interaction of ionic liquids - a vast family of organic electrolytes having a number of unique properties - with the building blocks of life, including biomembranes, proteins, and cells by means of neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, computer simulations and a number of complementary techniques, including cell biology approaches. Since 2017, supported by a number of research grants, I have established my own research group & the NanoBioPhysics Lab that I lead, and carrying out my independent research activity at the University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the University Roma Tre (Italy).
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I am an experimental physicist & biophysicist. The main focus of my research is on the interaction of ionic liquids - a vast family of organic electrolytes having a number of unique properties - with the building blocks of life, including biomembranes, proteins, and cells by means of neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, computer simulations and a number of complementary techniques, including cell biology approaches. Since 2017, supported by a number of research grants, I have established my own research group & the NanoBioPhysics Lab that I lead, and carrying out my independent research activity at the University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the University Roma Tre (Italy).
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Lab Members
Dr Holly Linford (May 2023 - )
Holly joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Researcher in May 2023, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and live cells by atomic force microscopy and other cell biology approaches, as part of a 4-year cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. She recently obtained her PhD in Physics at the University of Leeds (UK), working on inter-cell adhesion in plants with a focus on bio-atomic force microscopy in the group of Prof Simon Connell. Holly presented her findings at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024).
Holly joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Researcher in May 2023, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and live cells by atomic force microscopy and other cell biology approaches, as part of a 4-year cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. She recently obtained her PhD in Physics at the University of Leeds (UK), working on inter-cell adhesion in plants with a focus on bio-atomic force microscopy in the group of Prof Simon Connell. Holly presented her findings at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024).
Dr Parvez Alam (October 2024 - )
Parvez joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Researcher in October 2024, investigating the effect of ionic liquids on inorganic, organic and biological surfaces by atomic force microscopy and other complementary approaches, as part of a 2-year collaborative cross-disciplinary research grant awarded to Prof Benedetto and sponsored by the European Commission and the Italian Ministry of University & Research. After a BSc and MSc in Physical Chemistry, Parvez obtained his PhD in Chemical Sciences at the School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi, India), working on ligand-DNA and solute-lipid interactions using single-molecule and bulk fluorescence spectroscopy in the group of Prof Sobhan Sen. He published several scientific papers as part of his Ph.D. project, including two papers in J Phys Chem B (ACS) paper1 and paper2.
Parvez joined the lab as a Postdoctoral Researcher in October 2024, investigating the effect of ionic liquids on inorganic, organic and biological surfaces by atomic force microscopy and other complementary approaches, as part of a 2-year collaborative cross-disciplinary research grant awarded to Prof Benedetto and sponsored by the European Commission and the Italian Ministry of University & Research. After a BSc and MSc in Physical Chemistry, Parvez obtained his PhD in Chemical Sciences at the School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi, India), working on ligand-DNA and solute-lipid interactions using single-molecule and bulk fluorescence spectroscopy in the group of Prof Sobhan Sen. He published several scientific papers as part of his Ph.D. project, including two papers in J Phys Chem B (ACS) paper1 and paper2.
Imen Boujmil (January 2022 - )
Imen joined the lab in January 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a 3-years Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University & Research. Her project focuses on the effect of (paramagnetic) ionic liquids on lipid bilayers by means of atomic force microscopy and other complementary techniques. Imen has a BSc & MSc Degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rome La Sapienza and the Campus Bio-Medico Rome (Rome, IT), respectively. In June 2022, she attended the UCD Conway School on Flow-Cytometry. In September 2022, she attended the (i) Oxford School on Neutron Scattering and the (ii) Elettra School on Synchrotron Radiation. Imen presented her findings in a contributed talk at the AFM & SPM 2024 Meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society (March 2024, Durham University, UK). She is now in the process of finalising her PhD work and defending her thesis.
Imen joined the lab in January 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a 3-years Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University & Research. Her project focuses on the effect of (paramagnetic) ionic liquids on lipid bilayers by means of atomic force microscopy and other complementary techniques. Imen has a BSc & MSc Degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rome La Sapienza and the Campus Bio-Medico Rome (Rome, IT), respectively. In June 2022, she attended the UCD Conway School on Flow-Cytometry. In September 2022, she attended the (i) Oxford School on Neutron Scattering and the (ii) Elettra School on Synchrotron Radiation. Imen presented her findings in a contributed talk at the AFM & SPM 2024 Meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society (March 2024, Durham University, UK). She is now in the process of finalising her PhD work and defending her thesis.
Olena (Alyona) Yedelkina (September 2022 - )
Alyona joined the lab in September 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Irish Research Council. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers of increasing complexity, using atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering, and other complementary techniques. Alyona has a BSc Degree in Biophysics (Highest First-Class Hons) from Pavol Józef Šafárik University in Slovakia. In June 2023, she attended the FEBS Summer School “Mechanics in Biology: From molecules to cells and tissues” (Glasgow, UK) and, in September 2024, the Oxford School on Neutron Scattering (Oxford, UK). Alyona presented her findings at the AFM & SPM 2024 Meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society (March 2024, Durham University, UK), at the 2024 UCD Science PhD Day (May 2024), and at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024).
Alyona joined the lab in September 2022 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Irish Research Council. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers of increasing complexity, using atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering, and other complementary techniques. Alyona has a BSc Degree in Biophysics (Highest First-Class Hons) from Pavol Józef Šafárik University in Slovakia. In June 2023, she attended the FEBS Summer School “Mechanics in Biology: From molecules to cells and tissues” (Glasgow, UK) and, in September 2024, the Oxford School on Neutron Scattering (Oxford, UK). Alyona presented her findings at the AFM & SPM 2024 Meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society (March 2024, Durham University, UK), at the 2024 UCD Science PhD Day (May 2024), and at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024).
Aadarsh Kumar (May 2023 - )
Aadarsh joined the lab in May 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and membrane protein channels using atomic force microscopy and other approaches, as part of a 4-year cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. Aadarsh obtained his integrated BSc & MSc Degree in Physics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune (India), working on the unfolding events of Titin protein using an ad hoc interferometer-based AFM, which resulted in a publication in J Phys Chem Lett. In August 2023, he attended the 14th AFMBioMed Summer School in Marcoule, FR. He presented his findings at the AFM & SPM 2024 Meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society (March 2024, Durham University, UK) and at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024). In July 2024, he visited ETH-Zurich to receive training in Fluidic Force Microscopy.
Aadarsh joined the lab in May 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision, investigating the interactions of ionic liquids with biomembranes and membrane protein channels using atomic force microscopy and other approaches, as part of a 4-year cross-disciplinary major research grant recently awarded to Prof Benedetto by Science Foundation Ireland. Aadarsh obtained his integrated BSc & MSc Degree in Physics at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune (India), working on the unfolding events of Titin protein using an ad hoc interferometer-based AFM, which resulted in a publication in J Phys Chem Lett. In August 2023, he attended the 14th AFMBioMed Summer School in Marcoule, FR. He presented his findings at the AFM & SPM 2024 Meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society (March 2024, Durham University, UK) and at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024). In July 2024, he visited ETH-Zurich to receive training in Fluidic Force Microscopy.
Jiajia (Jia) Wei (November 2023 - )
Jia joined the lab in November 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Irish Research Council. Her project focuses on investigating the effect of ionic liquids on live cell nano-mechanics using atomic force microscopy and cell biology assays. Jia obtained her BSc & MSc Degrees in Engineering at the Beijing University and at the University of the Chinese Academy of Science (Beijing, Cina), respectively. Her MSc Thesis Project was on "Measuring the cellular mechanical properties in fluidic environment using Atomic Force Microscopy", which resulted in two publications in Langmuir (ACS) and Nanoscale (RSC), respectively. In July 2024, she visited ETH-Zurich to receive training in Fluidic Force Microscopy. Jia presented her findings at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024).
Jia joined the lab in November 2023 as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision thanks to a Ph.D. Scholarship sponsored by the Irish Research Council. Her project focuses on investigating the effect of ionic liquids on live cell nano-mechanics using atomic force microscopy and cell biology assays. Jia obtained her BSc & MSc Degrees in Engineering at the Beijing University and at the University of the Chinese Academy of Science (Beijing, Cina), respectively. Her MSc Thesis Project was on "Measuring the cellular mechanical properties in fluidic environment using Atomic Force Microscopy", which resulted in two publications in Langmuir (ACS) and Nanoscale (RSC), respectively. In July 2024, she visited ETH-Zurich to receive training in Fluidic Force Microscopy. Jia presented her findings at the 2024 UCD Conway Festival (October 2024).
Lorenzo Dal Fabbro (May 2024 - )
Lorenzo joined the lab in May 2024 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision thanks to a Summership sponsored by UCD Physics. His project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on the morphology and mechanics of biomembranes using atomic force microscopy, for which he was awarded first prize at the UCD Physics Summer Research Student Day. He then re-joined the lab as a Ph.D. student thanks to a 3-year Ph.D. Scholarship he was awarded to him by the University of Milano (IT) on the project "The mechanisms of action of ionic liquids on biological membrane and protein", which he is carring out in UMilano (Home University) under the supervision of Prof Podesta' and in UCD (Visiting Uniuversity) under Prof Benedetto, thanks to a Double PhD Agreement between the two Institutions. Lorenzo obtained his BSc and MSc Degrees in Physics at the University of Milano (IT).
Lorenzo joined the lab in May 2024 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision thanks to a Summership sponsored by UCD Physics. His project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on the morphology and mechanics of biomembranes using atomic force microscopy, for which he was awarded first prize at the UCD Physics Summer Research Student Day. He then re-joined the lab as a Ph.D. student thanks to a 3-year Ph.D. Scholarship he was awarded to him by the University of Milano (IT) on the project "The mechanisms of action of ionic liquids on biological membrane and protein", which he is carring out in UMilano (Home University) under the supervision of Prof Podesta' and in UCD (Visiting Uniuversity) under Prof Benedetto, thanks to a Double PhD Agreement between the two Institutions. Lorenzo obtained his BSc and MSc Degrees in Physics at the University of Milano (IT).
Sean Fleming (May 2025 - )
Sean joined the lab in May 2025 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision thanks to a Summership sponsored by UCD Physics. His project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloidogenesis using atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy. Sean obtained his BSc Degree in Physics from UCD.
Sean joined the lab in May 2025 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision thanks to a Summership sponsored by UCD Physics. His project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloidogenesis using atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy. Sean obtained his BSc Degree in Physics from UCD.
Sophia Miller (June 2025 - )
Sophia joined the lab in June 2025 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision within a UCD Science programme and thanks to a Summership sponsored by Global Leadership Initiative. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloid fibrils' morphology and elasticity using atomic force microscopy. Sophia is a pre-med student at the University of Montana and fourth-year student majoring in human biological sciences.
Sophia joined the lab in June 2025 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision within a UCD Science programme and thanks to a Summership sponsored by Global Leadership Initiative. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloid fibrils' morphology and elasticity using atomic force microscopy. Sophia is a pre-med student at the University of Montana and fourth-year student majoring in human biological sciences.
Zeqiu Wang (June 2025 - )
Zeqiu joined the lab in June 2025 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloids and live cells using atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy. Zeqiu is a UCD Stage 2 student majoring in Physics.
Zeqiu joined the lab in June 2025 as a Summer Research student under Prof Benedetto's supervision. Her project focuses on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloids and live cells using atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy. Zeqiu is a UCD Stage 2 student majoring in Physics.
Past Lab Members (Ph.D. Students & Postdocs)
Dr Visakh Pillai (November 2017 - September 2022)
Visakh was part of the lab for 5 years (4 years + 1 additional year under a Covid-19 Government payed extension), from November 2017 to September 2022, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. His PhD project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on protein amyloidogenesis and cells by means of atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering and a number of complimentary techniques. In September 2022, he was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In October 2022, he took a postdoctoral fellow position within the chair group of Physical Chemistry & Soft Matter at Wageningen University and Research (NL), where he used high-resolution AFM, AFM-IR, and bulk spectroscopy approaches to study proteins and amyloids. In January 2025, Visakh joined the Self-Organising Soft Matter group at TU Eindhoven (NL) as a postdoctoral fellow, where he is working on nanoscale characterisation and application of ice interactive materials relevant in cryopreservation.
During his PhD, Visakh: (i) published 6 scientific papers (5 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 Biophys Rev, 1 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 2 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2021; (iii) was awarded a poster prize at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iv) attended 2 schools including the Niels Bohr School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) served as tutor in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Visakh was part of the lab for 5 years (4 years + 1 additional year under a Covid-19 Government payed extension), from November 2017 to September 2022, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. His PhD project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on protein amyloidogenesis and cells by means of atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering and a number of complimentary techniques. In September 2022, he was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In October 2022, he took a postdoctoral fellow position within the chair group of Physical Chemistry & Soft Matter at Wageningen University and Research (NL), where he used high-resolution AFM, AFM-IR, and bulk spectroscopy approaches to study proteins and amyloids. In January 2025, Visakh joined the Self-Organising Soft Matter group at TU Eindhoven (NL) as a postdoctoral fellow, where he is working on nanoscale characterisation and application of ice interactive materials relevant in cryopreservation.
During his PhD, Visakh: (i) published 6 scientific papers (5 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 Biophys Rev, 1 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 2 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2021; (iii) was awarded a poster prize at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iv) attended 2 schools including the Niels Bohr School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) served as tutor in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Dr Pallavi Kumari (May 2017 - June 2021)
Pallavi was part of the lab for 4 years, from May 2017 to June 2021, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. Her project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers and cells using atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering, and a number of complementary techniques. In June 2021, she was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In January 2022, she took a postdoctoral fellow position at the School of Physics & Astronomy at Leeds University (UK) where she used advanced AFM approaches coupled with fluorescence to study plant cell walls. In January 2023, she took a postdoctoral fellowship position within the Cellular Biophysics group at the Institute of X-Ray Physics at Göttingen University (GE), where she was subsequently awarded one of the prestigious Postdoctoral Marie Curie Fellowships sponsored by the European Commission.
During her PhD, Pallavi: (i) published 7 scientific papers (4 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys, 1 Biophys Rev; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 3 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iii) was awarded two poster prizes - one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2017 and one at UCD Conway Science Festival 2020 - and a medal for student achievement by UCD Science in 2020; (iv) attended 2 schools, including the Oxford School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) participated in outreach activities, including Soapbox Science Dublin; (vii) served as lead tutor and lecturer in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Pallavi was part of the lab for 4 years, from May 2017 to June 2021, as Ph.D. student under Prof Benedetto supervision. Her project focused on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers and cells using atomic force microscopy, neutron scattering, and a number of complementary techniques. In June 2021, she was awarded two Ph.D. degrees by University College Dublin (IE) and University Roma Tre (IT), respectively, as part of the Double PhD Degree Program between the two Universities. In January 2022, she took a postdoctoral fellow position at the School of Physics & Astronomy at Leeds University (UK) where she used advanced AFM approaches coupled with fluorescence to study plant cell walls. In January 2023, she took a postdoctoral fellowship position within the Cellular Biophysics group at the Institute of X-Ray Physics at Göttingen University (GE), where she was subsequently awarded one of the prestigious Postdoctoral Marie Curie Fellowships sponsored by the European Commission.
During her PhD, Pallavi: (i) published 7 scientific papers (4 as first author) including 2 J Phys Chem Lett, 2 J Phys Chem B, 1 Phys Chem Chem Phys, 1 Biophys Rev; (ii) presented many posters at international conferences and gave 3 talks, including one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2019; (iii) was awarded two poster prizes - one at the European Biophysical Congress EBSA 2017 and one at UCD Conway Science Festival 2020 - and a medal for student achievement by UCD Science in 2020; (iv) attended 2 schools, including the Oxford School on Neutron Scattering; (v) carried out 2 neutron scattering experiments; (vi) participated in outreach activities, including Soapbox Science Dublin; (vii) served as lead tutor and lecturer in the UCD Physics Summer School.
Past Lab Members (BSc & MSc Thesis & Intern Students)
Jason Grimes (September 2024 - May 2025)
Jason was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2024 to May 2025, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out his BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the mechanical response of phospholipid membranes to ionic liquids by means of atomic force microscopy & spectroscopy.
Jason was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2024 to May 2025, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out his BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the mechanical response of phospholipid membranes to ionic liquids by means of atomic force microscopy & spectroscopy.
Melina Kofokotsiou (September 2024 - December 2024)
Melina was part of the lab for a trimester (Autumn 2024) as an Intern (Final Year) Student (BSc Physics) to carry out his "biophysics" project under Prof Benedetto's supervision on the mechanical response of phospholipid membranes and cells to ionic liquids using atomic force microscopy & spectroscopy.
Melina was part of the lab for a trimester (Autumn 2024) as an Intern (Final Year) Student (BSc Physics) to carry out his "biophysics" project under Prof Benedetto's supervision on the mechanical response of phospholipid membranes and cells to ionic liquids using atomic force microscopy & spectroscopy.
Aengus Chinn (September 2023 - December 2023)
Aengus was part of the lab for a trimester (Autumn 2023) as an Intern (Final Year) Student (BSc Physics) to carry out his "biophysics" project under Prof Benedetto's supervision on the structural and mechanical response of phospholipid bilayers to ionic drugs using atomic force microscopy & spectroscopy.
Aengus was part of the lab for a trimester (Autumn 2023) as an Intern (Final Year) Student (BSc Physics) to carry out his "biophysics" project under Prof Benedetto's supervision on the structural and mechanical response of phospholipid bilayers to ionic drugs using atomic force microscopy & spectroscopy.
Roisin Mc Monagle (September 2022 - May 2023)
Roisin was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Roisin was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on lipid bilayers' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Osahenre (Osas) Samuel (September 2022 - May 2023)
Osas was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloid fibrils' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Osas was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out her BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on amyloid fibrils' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy.
Luke Kilmartin (September 2022 - May 2023)
Luke was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out his BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on cancer cells' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy and cell biology approaches.
Luke was part of the lab for 9 months, from October 2022 to May 2023, as Final Year Student (BSc Physics) to carried out his BSc degree thesis project under Prof Benedetto supervision on the effect of ionic liquids on cancer cells' morphology and elasticity by means of atomic force microscopy and cell biology approaches.