Dario Polli

Dario Polli is an Italian physicist and academic known for his contributions to the field of nonlinear optics, spectroscopy and microscopy. He is currently serving as an Associate Professor of Physics at the Physics Department of the Politecnico di Milano. Polli is also associated with the Italian CNR (National Research Council) with a research assignment. He has a diverse research background, ranging from the development of innovative microscopy systems, especially in the field of coherent Raman scattering microscopy, ultrafast spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.
==Early life and education==
Polli completed his Master's degree in Electronics Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano in 2001, achieving a final mark of 100/100 cum laude. He also holds a Master's degree in Physical Engineering from the École Centrale de Paris in France, which he obtained through the "TIME - Top Industrial Managers for Europe" project.
In 2002, Polli pursued a Ph.D. in Physics at the Physics Department of the Politecnico di Milano, supported by a scholarship from the Italian government. After completing his Ph.D. in 2005, he joined the Physics Department as a "Ricercatore di Ruolo," a full-time permanent position equivalent to an Assistant Professor. During this time, Polli was involved in groundbreaking research projects, including collaborations with the Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy in Berlin, Germany.
==Career==
Polli currently heads a research group at Politecnico di Milano dedicated to the development of innovative label-free nonlinear optical microscopy systems for biological applications, such as coherent Raman scattering microscopy, second-harmonic imaging and two-photon-excited fluorescence. The group also focuses on Fourier Transform spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging, leveraging a patented ultra-stable interferometer.
Throughout his career, Polli has been the principal investigator for several research grants, such as an European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant “VIBRA”., two ERC Proof-of-Concept grants, an Horizon-2020 project and an European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition project.
==Research==
Polli is a prominent researcher known for his significant contributions in the field of spectroscopy and microscopy using ultra-short laser pulses. His groundbreaking work focuses on investigating the ultrafast dynamics of excited states in organic molecules, semiconductors, and nanomaterials.
Notable achievements include: first real-time observation of the isomerization process of the retinal chromophore in rhodopsin, a crucial event in human vision. This breakthrough, achieved with a remarkable temporal resolution of 10 femtoseconds, was published in Nature. His studies on carotenoids led to the discovery of a new excited state with implications for photosynthesis and photoprotection processes, published in Science. D. Polli made groundbreaking measurements of the coherence length and mobility of excitons in carbon nanotubes, providing important insights into their behavior, reported in Nature Physics. He also detected coherent orbital waves during the photo-induced metal-insulator transition of a magnetoresistive manganite, establishing a significant milestone in the field, published in Nature Materials.
These results have been made possible thanks to the development of a broadband pump-probe detection scheme based on a spectrometer synchronized with ultrashort pulsed lasers. Polli pioneered this instrumentation, which today is used in many laboratories worldwide dealing with ultrafast optical sciences.
 
In addition to spectroscopy, Polli extended the use of his spectrometer to microscopy, introducing the concept of transient absorption microscopy (TAM). This technique enables the mapping of ultrafast dynamics in nanometric or micro-structured samples with exceptional spatial (≈200 nm) and temporal (≈100 fs) resolution.
Along this line, he has recently provided some pioneering contributions for the development of high-speed coherent Raman scattering (CRS). CRS records high-resolution images of biological samples without the use of exogenous markers, thanks to the intrinsic vibrational response of the molecules of the tissue under study. This translates into increased diagnostic capacity, especially in the field of tumour identification.
==Scientific divulgation==
Polli taught Experimental Physics at the "Collegio San Carlo" High School in Milan from 2012 to 2015. Dario has also given talks and presentations at various high schools and public events. Notable engagements include teaching children through collaborations with focus Junior, speaking at the Wired Next Fest 2015, participating in the MeetMeTonight events, and delivering TEDx talks in Vicenza and Politecnico di Milano. Additionally, he has been a speaker at "Pint of Science" and Bergamo Scienza, as well as being invited to Luxembourg and Spain to speak at international conventions. He has co-authored a textbook on General Physics for first-year Bachelor students
==Awards and Honours==
*Principal investigator of an European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant “VIBRA” and of two ERC Proof-of-Concept grants. 
*Elected fellow of OPTICA in 2022 “For pioneering contributions to ultrafast spectroscopy and nonlinear label-free microscopy”
*Project coordinator of an Horizon-2020 “Disruptive Photonics Technologies” (ICT-36) project entitled “CRIMSON - Coherent Raman Imaging for the Molecular Study of the OrigiN of diseases from 2020 to 2024, with a consortium involving 10 partners and a budget of 5.1 million euros over 42 months.
*Partner of the European Innovation Council EIC Transition project "HYPERIA" with a budget of 1.5 million euros and a duration of 24 months for the development of a novel ultrabroadband hyperspectral imaging system. 
Category:1976 births
Category:People from Milan
Category:Italian people
Category:Physicists
Category:Academics