After receiving his Doctorate Degree in Theoretical Physics in Italy (Universities of Turin and Genova), VMC accepted an invitation to teach theoretical physics at a new ResearchCenter in Mexico City where he taught for four years.Upon winning a Post-Doctoral Scholarship from the USA National Research Council, he moved to New York at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies where he has been ever since carrying our his research.For several years his main interest was in Astrophysics, in particular the internal structure of Neutron Stars in which he applied his knowledge in nuclear physics, a research topics in which he had worked prior to his joining NASA. From Nuclear Astrophysics he moved to Cosmology, a field in which he work with PAM Dirac, one of the founding fathers of Quantum Mechanics. His interest in fluid dynamics problems stemmed from a seminar at ColumbiaUniversity by W.Heisenberg, another of the founding fathers of Quantum Mechanics. He soon switched to problems in Turbulence and in the subsequent years he applied his new knowledge to problems of ocean mixing, a research topic in which he continues to be actively involved. Since about 50% of the anthropogenic CO2 emitted every year into the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans, the crucial argument to be studied, understood and quantified is how much less CO2 will be absorbed by a warmer ocean. Less absorption by the oceans means more CO2 left behind in the atmosphere thus exacerbating the problem of global warming. This is an example of pure research that has an immediate application to the future of our planet, a topic that will be at the heart of VMC presentation in Turin. VMC has published more than 260 papers in international scientific journals, three books of which one is in Italian, The Nuclear Paradox (Il Mulino). Because of his role as a scientific Advisor to the Holy See Mission to the United Nations for more than 20 years he was bestowed the order of Saint Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II.

Lars Ehm holds a joint position with the National Synchrotron Light Source and the Mineral Physics Institute at Stony Brook University. His research interests lie in the field of structural characterization of materials at extreme environmental conditions in order to determine structure-property relationships. He uses primary X-ray diffraction and X-ray total scattering techniques to study changes in the atomic structure. The main variables to induce structural changes used in Lars's research are high pressure and temperature.

Professional activities: Science and research, programming, education of young scientists; Faculty address : 842 48 Bratislava, Comenius University, Mlynská Dolina; Education: 1962-65 Gymnasium Metodova, 1965-70 ; Department: Theoretical Physics, Comenius University, 1976 -Ph.D. JINR Dubna; 1997- Doctor of Science -DrSc., JINR April; 2001- an appointed professor in the field of Theoretical Physics, prof. at Comenius University; my garden study stays: JINR April, ICTP Trieste and Universita di Trieste, Frascati - INFN, CERN Geneva (4 times a year since 1994), Guanachuato University - Mexico, Germany, several times the USA, several times Israel and Japan; Career: since 1970 Comenius University Bratislava, Department of Theoretical Physics, assistant professor, associate professor, professor. He has been lecturing students for 40 years. Since 2003 Vice-Chairman of the Academic Senate of Charles University, since 2007 its 1st Vice-Chairman and member of the Rector's Board of Comenius University Bratislava, since 2010 -2011 Chairman of the Academic Senate of Charles University, 2002-03 Member of the Council Elementary particle physics, principal investigator and co-investigator of VEGA projects, co-investigator of many other domestic and foreign projects, scientific grant APVV since 2013 until now, guarantor of the study field "Theory of teaching physics" (doctoral studies, master's studies, habilitation and inauguration appointments);Publishing activity: author and co-author of more than 180 original scientific and professional publications, co-author of 1 foreign monograph, co-author of a monograph in Slovakia, author of teaching texts for doctoral studies (Lectures for young scientists from Group Theory, April 1986 in Russian), author of several other teaching texts, including those supported by the ESF in English; RV .: Commemorative Medals of the Faculty of Management, Faculty of Law, Comenius University in Bratislava, member of several commissions (Inaugural Commission, Habilitation Commission, defense of PhD. ), Delegate for the Slovak Republic in the Advisory Committee of CERN Users - CERN (since 2002 up to now), Member of the VEGA Physics Commission (2000-2006); Member of the Scientific Council at the JINR International Institute in April since 2012.

Research Interests Our Multifunctional and Interface Engineered Metamaterials Laboratory is focused on the researches of: 1) artificial photosynthesis and solar energy induced biofuel synthesis from carbon dioxide; 2) advanced metamaterials for energy harvest and storage device applications; 3) multifunctional materials and thin films for smart sensors and control systems such as structural health monitoring systems and energy sensors; 4) growth dynamics and epitaxial nature of multifunctional and composition gradient oxide thin films; 5) Tunable microwave devices (phase shifters and filters), optoelectronic devices, N/MEMS (micro/nano-structural health monitoring system), and biosensors (sensitive sensor arrays); and 6) the relationship between physical properties/epitaxial nature/interface structures/thin-film crystallinity.

Research interest: Thermodynamics, structural properties, transport phenomena, phase transitions, particle aggregation, physical gelation, dynamical arrest and (spontaneous and directed) self-assembly of many-body systems (colloids, polyelectrolytes, polymers, proteins, membranes, DNA). Semiconductor physics: Wigner crystallization mechanisms. Advanced numerical algorithms, parallel computing, molecular simulation methods, and experimental techniques (scattering methods, rheology, confocal videomicroscopy, optical trapping, etc.) for the research of Soft Condensed Matter Physics