investigation of novel approaches to optical manipulation [including use of new beam shapes and light patterns; exploitation of nonlinear optical response of materials for lightdriven nano-motors; photo-patterning in polymer and polymer composites, etc.]

advancements in the real-time, interactive, and arbitrary control of many micro-particles in 2D and 3D by optical manipulation [including computer driven methods using SLM (GPC, holographic, Fresnel), interferometric multi-beam techniques, laser scanning, fiber-tweezers, etc.]

realization of nano and micro-structures by photo-patterning of polymeric materials [including fabrication of new materials with tailored physicochemical functionalisation, fabrication of optically activated micro-mechanical devices, realization of ordered periodic structures of nanoparticles, etc.]

investigation on microfluidics [including study of microrheology at nano or micro-scale, optical sorting of micro-particles, optical control of microfluidic components, etc.]

implementation of non invasive optical tools for manipulation and study of biological systems [including lab-on-a-chip for investigation of growth behaviour in large cell colonies, manipulation of cells to trigger variations in the developmental features, etc]

development of new methods coupling optical manipulation tools to nonlinear optical microscopy and spectroscopy for biological systems [including multi-beam optical traps controlling the living cells without affecting spectroscopic data, single particle trapping and spectroscopic detection, study of time- and space- resolved cell-cell interaction, etc.]