Sami Rtimi
Scientist
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Switzerland.
Biography
S. Rtimi is a microbiologist with a strong background in chemistry and surfaces engineering. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL, Switzerland). He was investigating antibacterial coatings for healthcare acquired infections prevention and indoor hospital environment. He was already awarded a Doctorate in Biological Sciences from the University of Carthage (Tunisia). He started his career working on hospital wastewater disinfection by photo-active nanomaterials. In 2010, he was awarded a grant to work bilaterally between Tunisia and France (LCPME, CNRS, Université Henri-Poincaré) on antibacterial photoactive solids and microorganisms’ encapsulation in inorganic porous media. In 2011, he won the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship to join the Advanced Oxidation Processes Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). His work focused on the development of fast antibacterial ultrathin films on medical devices and the mechanistic considerations behind this disinfection activity. He is expert in coupling nanostructures for targeted biological response at the solid-air-interface. With an h-index of 13, he published more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals, patents, several book chapters and presented numerous communications at international meetings.
Research Interest
Nano-material synthesis, Antibacterial surfaces/implants, Thin films synthesis, Magnetron Sputtering (MS), High Power Impulse MS deposition, Surface characterization, Colloids, and interfaces, Cell-Nanoparticle interactions