Vincenzo Barone is a world-renowned Italian theoretical and computational chemist born in Ancona on November 8, 1952. He currently holds the position of Full Professor of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry at the prestigious Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa where he has established himself as a leading authority in the field. After graduating in chemistry with highest honors in 1976 he advanced through academic ranks to become full professor at the University of Naples in 1994. His distinguished career reached a significant milestone in 2009 when he was appointed to the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa bringing renewed emphasis to chemical disciplines within this renowned institution. His leadership capabilities were further recognized when he served as Dean of the Classe di Scienze Matematiche e Naturali in 2015 and Director of the Scuola Normale Superiore from 2016 to 2019.
Professor Barone has pioneered computational methodologies that bridge theoretical chemistry with spectroscopic applications developing approaches that achieve spectroscopic accuracy at computational cost. His groundbreaking work on the Pisa composite schemes and vibrational perturbation theory has enabled accurate structural determinations of complex molecules including nitroaromatic explosives and prebiotic compounds. He has made significant contributions through his development of the PCS141 database and templating synthon approach which have advanced computational structural chemistry and made sophisticated analyses accessible to a broader scientific community. His research group has grown substantially since his appointment at Scuola Normale Superiore establishing dedicated facilities at the Palazzo D'Ancona and creating a major center for computational chemistry in Italy. His publications demonstrate a commitment to making computational chemistry more accurate and efficient with numerous high-impact papers in spectroscopy and molecular structure determination.
Beyond his research achievements Barone has significantly shaped the chemistry community through his leadership as President of the Italian Chemical Society from 2011 to 2013. He directs the Scuola Normale Superiore node of the European Centre for Atomic and Molecular Calculations and chairs the COST Action Convergent Distributed Environment for Computational Spectroscopy fostering international collaboration in computational methods. His international recognition includes membership in the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science and the European Academy of Sciences as well as fellowship in the Royal Society of Chemistry. He continues to lead major computational initiatives including the M3-VILLAGE network that coordinates resources across multiple university departments and research institutions throughout Italy. His ongoing work focuses on advancing computational spectroscopy through distributed computing environments ensuring continued impact on both theoretical frameworks and practical applications in chemical sciences for the benefit of researchers worldwide.
