Dr Chiara Giorio

Winner: 2021 Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division Early Career Award

University of Cambridge

For research on the environmental fate of systemic pesticides, influencing global pesticide regulation for sustainable agriculture.

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Diversity is essential. It is not just a moral imperative; it is needed to create new ideas to tackle societal challenges by drawing from experience that is as wide as possible.

Dr Giorio's research group has been investigating the environmental dispersion of neonicotinoid insecticides through dust emitted by seeders during the sowing of corn seeds treated with neonicotinoids, and the consequential in-flight contamination and acute toxicity for honeybees. They conducted field trials where bees were trained to fly over a maize field during sowing. Their research explained some of the large and rapid colony collapses observed in Europe during the spring seasons.

The group's research, together with the work of other scientists, has laid the foundation for improving policy around pesticide approval for use in Europe for more sustainable agriculture. Other countries have followed the lead of Europe.

Read winner biography

Dr Chiara Giorio is a lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, where she leads her research group. Chiara was born and grew up in Vicenza in Northeast Italy. Growing up, she had many interests, from sports to reading books, especially novels. Although Chiara didn't have a clear idea of what she wanted to do in life, she always had a predisposition and curiosity for scientific subjects. She decided to study chemistry at the University of Padova (Italy) because she thought that chemistry can nicely balance theoretical and experimental work, and it opens many job opportunities. During her Bachelor thesis, she fell in love with atmospheric chemistry and continued on that path for her Master's thesis and PhD.

It was at the beginning of her PhD, at Professor Andrea Tapparo’s lab in the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Padova, that the opportunity to work with the world of bees came up. It started with a collaboration between her PhD supervisor and Professor Vincenzo Girolami, an entomologist at the same university. They joined the international Task Force on Systemic Pesticides (TFSP), chaired by Dr Maarten Bijleveld van Lexmond. After her PhD, Chiara did a postdoc at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Professor Markus Kalberer. She then secured a position as researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and joined the Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry at the University Aix-Marseille in France, before moving back to the University of Padova as a tenure-track assistant professor.

Q+A

Who or what has inspired you?

I think I had a good teacher at high school, Armando Arcuri, who was engaging in the way he taught science and encouraged us to join competitions such as the local selections for the Chemistry Olympiad. I never went further than the regional levels, but it was an enjoyable experience that allowed me to learn chemistry through games.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?

In my research group we are studying the health impacts of air pollution. Air pollution is a threat that causes around seven million deaths per year worldwide, but the mechanisms by which air pollutants damage our lungs and exacerbates diseases is largely unknown. In collaborations with other research groups at the University of Cambridge we are now trying to understand the link between the chemical composition of airborne particles and health outcomes linked to lung inflammation and other diseases known to be caused or exacerbated by air pollution.

Why is chemistry important?

Chemistry is everywhere around us, whether we are aware of it or not. Knowing chemistry means understanding how the world works, and how small-scale processes that we can’t see with the naked eye influence our everyday life.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

During my postdoc years I realised that a career in research was what I wanted the most. Like many other postdocs I was facing the uncertainties associated with short term contracts and on many occasions I doubted myself and my possibilities to eventually secure a permanent position in academia. In 2016 I applied for the national selection to become a researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Securing that position repaid me instantly for all the hard work and I suddenly realised that my dreams were becoming true.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

I have struggled a lot with impostor syndrome in the past, sometimes I still have it now. The support from the University of Cambridge during my postdoc years and a coaching programme with Dr Suzanne Doyle-Morris were game-changing in this respect. I learnt to accept it and live with it, so that it doesn’t hold me back anymore and sometimes gives me motivation to learn something new and push my limits.

What does good research culture look like/mean to you?

Integrity is key because it is the building block of trust between collaborators and more in general between members of a community. Diversity is essential. It is not just a moral imperative; it is needed to create new ideas to tackle societal challenges by drawing from experience that is as wide as possible.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?

Chemical sciences are very powerful because they contribute to every aspect of society and our lives. They can be drivers for sustainable innovation. Green chemistry is a nice example of this. Chemical sciences can also be crucial in solving global challenges, such as access to clean water, fighting climate change and air pollution.

What is your favourite element?

My favourite element is oxygen. It is one of the fundamental building blocks of life and in my view is what gives flavour to chemistry in different disciplines, from organic to inorganic. It also plays a very important role in the atmosphere, under different forms such as the molecular oxygen that we breath or the hydroxyl radical that is the cleanser of the atmosphere.