Dr. Claudia Bonfio is a Research Fellow at Corpus Christi College – University of Cambridge and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the MRC – Laboratory of Molecular Biology where she studies the chemical origin of extant life. She had the opportunity to be trained across a network of internationally-recognized scientific institutions (IT, UK and US), thanks also to the support of the COST Action CM1304 and the Simons Foundation. As the leading member of a multidisciplinary team, her research led to the identification of key molecular pathways in prebiotic chemistry, publishing her results in Nature Chemistry and Nature Catalysis.
She was awarded the Reaxys SCI (Italian Chemical Society) Young Researcher Award 2017 and nominated among the Best 5 Italian young scientists in the 100 under 30 list published by Forbes Italy. She gained experience in supervising and mentoring BSc, MSc and PhD students and teaching Chemistry Summer Courses to outstanding young students coming from all over the world.
Her motivation, together with her wide experience, allowed her to flexibly interact with international students, delivering them high quality support and mentorship. She focused on improving her scientific communication skills outside academia, in order to promote the public understanding of science and to share her excitement about research. Among several activities carried out, in March 2018 she was invited to deliver an “inspirational after-dinner talk” to Natural Sciences Undergraduate students at Clare College (University of Cambridge) and she will give a TEDx Talk in Trento in December 2018. She is now collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of experts to hold an international workshop on the emergence of life on our planet, and with IYCN to organize the General Assembly during IUPAC 2019.
