Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced that Professor Francesco Ricci from the University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Italy, will receive the 2017 Heinrich Emanuel Merck Award for Analytical Science of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
 
The Italian chemist will receive the recognition worth €15,000 for his ground-breaking development of nature-inspired DNA-based nanodevices for sensing applications.
 
“Professor Ricci developed an innovative, highly selective bio-based assay-tool, which offers a crucial added value for rapid and inexpensive detection of biomarkers. It is relevant for medicinal research and will improve the quality of human life,” explained Klaus Griesar, head of science relations at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
 
Born in 1977, Ricci studied chemistry at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata, and the University of Lund in Sweden. He earned his PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata, in 2005 for his thesis on “Prussian Blue”-based sensors and biosensors. Since April 2014, Ricci is associate professor at the Laboratory of Biosensors and Nanomachines of the Chemistry Department at the University of Rome, Tor Vergata.