Stefano A. Mezzasalma: "I am convinced that a very important future prospect lies in a more profound link between the languages of physics and biology, which currently is still at the outset"

Dr. Stefano A. Mezzasalma is a theorist of the Optics and Optical Thin Films Laboratory at the Institut Ruđer Bošković in Zagreb, and a visiting guest researcher at LINXS until April 2020. He has been at LINXS since January. He says that, in the future, an important prospect lies in exploring a more profound link between the languages of physics and biology - which currently is still at the outset.

What are your main research interests in relation to x-rays and neutrons?

I am generally interested in both the equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics of soft and hard matter, from which x-rays and neutron scattering conveys lots of structural and dynamic information.

What research question are you examining at the moment?

Presently, with Ran Friedman (Kalmar) and Gergely Katona (Gothenburg), I am focusing on the response of protein crystals to THz radiation. This research is promising to shed further light on protein dynamics, in particular the so-called Fröhlich condensation. My role is assisting the experiment and computation with some ad-hoc theoretical approach that better unravels the (great) complexity of atomic data from the x-ray analysis.

What are your thoughts of being at LINXS?

I honestly think very well, I found a welcoming environment, conducive to scientific work, with the possibility of exchanging ideas with valuable scientists.

What do you think is the research frontier relating to x-rays and neutrons?

Mine may be a biased opinion, but I am convinced that a very important future prospect lies in a more profound link between the languages of physics and biology, which currently is still at the outset. To this end, the help furnished by the advancement of x-ray and neutron science & technology will be of extraordinary importance.

Stefano A. Mezzasalma is a theorist of the Optics and Optical Thin Films Laboratory at the Institut Ruđer Bošković in Zagreb.