Dr. John Capobianco

Concordia University Research Chair in Nanoscience (Tier 1)
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Arts and Science

Nanoscience Research Group
capo@alcor.concordia.ca

Dr. John Capobianco received a BSc (1973) in Chemistry from McMaster University. He then worked with the Canada Centre for Inland Waters Laboratory (Department of the Environment) for five years, before heading off to Switzerland where he completed both a Masters (1980) and PhD (1984) at l’Université de Genève. Upon returning to Canada, he pursued a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at McGill University. Dr. Capobianco joined the faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Concordia in 1986.

Dr. Capobianco’s research involves the synthesis, characterization and spectroscopy of lanthanide doped nanoparticles. Of particular interest are upconverting nanoparticles that are capable of converting near-infrared into visible light. These materials have attracted considerable attention due to their potential applications in scientific, medical and industrial areas. Areas where such materials may be used include: biotechnology (proteomics, genomics, high throughput drug screening), forensics and security (fingerprint detection, anti-forgery markings), biosensing (detection of chemical and biological warfare agents), medicine (contrast agents for tumour detection), imaging of cells and cellular events, lighting, solar energy, telecommunication, and photodynamic therapy.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Capobianco has built a substantial body of work. Highlights of his achievements and recognition include the following:

• Publishing over 90 research papers and review articles.
• Member of the Grant Selection Committee for the Korean Science and Engineering Foundation, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
• Member of the Grant Selection Committee for the Microscopic Imaging Panel, National Institute of Health, U.S.A.
• Member of the following Editorial Boards: International Journal of Green Nanotechnology, Journal of Nanotechnology, and Research Letters in Nanotechnology.
• International Advisory Committee member for the International Conference on Luminescence, Lyon, France.
• Being nominated a Fellow of the Concordia Science College.
• Receiving support for his research program through grants and research contracts from NSERC, NATO, Canadian Space Agency, FQRNT, MDEIE-Quebec, Authentix, France/Quebec and Quebec/USA Collaborative Research Program.
• Having two of his PhD students being awarded the Prix d’Excellence de l’Academie des Grands Montrealais.