Pierpaolo Pravatto, Ph.D.
M.Sc. Chemistry · Ph.D. in Molecular Sciences
Research Chemist · Organic Synthesis · Reaction Development · Mechanistic Chemistry
Currently R&D Manager at Woodn Greenwood s.r.l.
Summary
Hello! My name is Pierpaolo Pravatto, and I am an Italian chemist with a background spanning synthetic organic chemistry, physical and mechanistic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and computational chemistry. My scientific interests are particularly focused on organic synthesis, reaction development, and understanding the mechanisms underlying chemical reactivity. I also have experience applying advanced analytical, computational, and data-driven approaches to chemical research, which I use to complement experimental work and investigate chemical problems from different perspectives.
Foundations & Early Achievements
My chemistry journey began at the Umberto Follador Institute in Agordo, where I graduated with honors in chemistry and industrial chemistry, with a thesis on intumescent coatings carried out in collaboration with Amonn Color. During these years, I regularly participated in the Italian Chemistry Championships, achieving my strongest result in 2013, when I placed 5th nationally and was selected for the training program of the Italian team for the 45th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). This experience gave me an early and lasting interest in synthetic organic chemistry and experimental laboratory work.
Academic Journey & Quantum Mechanics
I continued my studies at the University of Padova, earning both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry with honors, supported by merit-based scholarships including the Mille ed una lode. During my university studies, I became particularly interested in the relationship between quantum mechanics, molecular structure, and chemical reactivity. Under the supervision of Prof. Giorgio Moro, my undergraduate thesis focused on quantum tunneling in molecular systems, combining concepts from physics and physical chemistry to investigate molecular phenomena.
Analytical Expertise & Method Development
Alongside my academic studies, I gained extensive hands-on laboratory experience as a technician at A&B Chem s.r.l., working in environmental chemical analysis, trace analysis, and analytical method development. I routinely operated and maintained GC-MS, GC-FID, HPLC-FLD/DAD/RID, HPLC-IEC, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, and TOC instrumentation. My work included the development of internal procedures for trace pollutants such as PAHs, VOCs by headspace analysis, and surfactants in complex matrices, as well as the implementation of SPME, SPE, purge-and-trap, and derivatization methods. I also worked with calibration procedures and measurement uncertainty, developing a rigorous approach to analytical quality and experimental reliability.
Ph.D., Postdoc & Computational Chemistry
After my Master’s degree, I ranked first in the admission test for the Ph.D. program in Molecular Sciences at the University of Padova, receiving funding from the CARIPARO Foundation. My doctoral and postdoctoral research, carried out under Prof. Giorgio Moro and Prof. Barbara Fresch, focused on tunneling splittings, stochastic processes, and computational approaches to chemical problems, including quantum computing applications such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE).
Industrial R&D: From Molecules to Materials
Transitioning to the private sector, I joined Green Energy Storage as an R&D Scientist. Here, I bridged the gap between theory and the bench: I utilized ab initio computational chemistry and machine learning (Tensorflow) to screen promising Redox Active Organic Molecules (ROMs), and then transitioned to the lab for the experimental evaluation of these organic electrolytes, investigating their stability and electro-induced degradation pathways. This work solidified my expertise in organic chemistry, radical chemistry and organic electrochemistry.
Currently, as the R&D Manager at Woodn Greenwood s.r.l., I lead the development of advanced polymer-based materials, successfully bringing novel formulations from formulation to scale-up and industrial production, while securing major public research grants (PR Veneto FESR 2021–2027). This role has sharpened my project management, stakeholder communication, and tech-transfer skills.
Beyond the Professional Lab: Synthesis, Automation & Flow Chemistry
Outside of my formal roles, I actively live my passion for organic synthesis through independent, hands-on projects. I have set up a small-scale experimental environment where I reproduce, test, and optimize synthetic procedures directly from the scientific literature. Lately, this personal space has been evolving into a playground for laboratory automation and flow chemistry. Combining my passion for electronics with chemistry, I am leveraging 3D printing and rapid prototyping to design and build custom, modular fluidic systems and flexible platforms for reaction development. For me, exploring how modern manufacturing can streamline chemical synthesis isn’t just a hobby—it’s a glimpse into the future of agile R&D.
To bridge computational power with practical bench work, I also co-developed SPyCCI (Simple Python Computational Chemistry Interface), an open-source library that automates complex workflows across quantum chemistry packages like ORCA, xTB, and CREST. This tool was built specifically to streamline the high-throughput prediction of molecular properties, helping scientists orient experimental investigations, accelerate route scouting, and identify synthetic targets more efficiently.
The Next Chapter
Driven by a lifelong fascination with complex molecular architecture and mechanistic chemistry, my professional focus is expanding toward the pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry sectors. Whether it involves process optimization, drug discovery support, or chemical innovation, I am eager to bring my unique blend of synthetic organic chemistry, advanced analytical characterization, and data-driven automation into a dynamic research team. I look forward to tackling new challenges where scientific rigor meets practical problem-solving to deliver the next generation of life-changing molecules.
Find out more about my research, works and projects:
Software Projects
I also enjoy programming and building small tools around problems that catch my interest. The projects collected here are quite eclectic, ranging from computational chemistry and acid–base visualization to scientific data analysis and radio technology. Some were developed independently, some together with collaborators, and others are projects by people whose work I find particularly interesting and worth sharing.
An open-source Python framework designed to automate high-throughput computational workflows. Built to streamline molecular property prediction and accelerate target identification.
A data-processing application with a small built in energy database tailored for parsing and analyzing gamma spectroscopy data from scintillation detectors.
A beautiful software designed by the AresValley team to assist radio frequency signal identification and storage. A great contibution to the Ham radio community.