Our Team

Professor Riccardo Leardi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, and an internationally recognized expert in chemometrics with over 35 years of experience. Since 1985, he has been working in the Analytical Chemistry section, where his research focuses on multivariate statistical methods applied to complex problems in food, environmental, and clinical analysis, with particular expertise in classification and regression, experimental design, process optimization, and multivariate process monitoring and quality control

He has been instrumental in developing several influential chemometric software tools, including GA-PLS for variable selection using genetic algorithms, and the widely-used CAT (Chemometric Agile Tool) and BasiCAT platforms. His prolific research output includes over 150 peer-reviewed papers and more than 130 presentations at national and international conferences, many as invited speaker.

Beyond academia, he has been working as a chemometric consultant for national and international companies since 2002, helping organizations optimize processes and improve product quality through advanced statistical approaches. Deeply committed to education, he organizes two annual Chemometrics Schools at the University of Genoa and serves as a lecturer at various international institutions, including the prestigious Copenhagen School of Chemometrics. His invited talks and specialized courses have reached numerous industries and research centers worldwide, establishing him as a leading authority in applied chemometrics. He is contributor to the chapter on Experimental Design of The European Pharmacopoeia 5.33.

Professor Leardi's exceptional scientific impact is further recognized through his inclusion in the prestigious Stanford-Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List developed by John P.A. Ioannidis, placing him among the top 0.34% of the world's most influential researchers - a testament to his outstanding contributions to the field of chemometrics and analytical chemistry.

Dr. Emanuele Farinini is a specialist in experimental design, multivariate analysis, and image analysis for solving industrial problems. He earned his PhD in Sciences and Technologies of Chemistry and Materials from the University of Genoa in 2024, with a specialization in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food sciences. His doctoral research was conducted within the Analytical Chemistry and Chemometrics research group at the Department of Pharmacy, in direct collaboration with manufacturing industries. Prior to his academic achievements, he gained valuable industry experience as an R&D scientist in Early Product Development (EPD) and Chemical Manufacturing and Control (CMC) at Chiesi Limited in Chippenham, UK. He currently works as a chemometric consultant in collaboration with Professor Riccardo Leardi, focusing on process optimization, monitoring, quality control, and multivariate image analysis across pharmaceutical, food, and manufacturing sectors.

His technical expertise spans experimental design, process optimization, multivariate process monitoring, quality control, and multivariate image analysis. He has co-developed the Chemometric Agile Tool (CAT) and is the lead developer of PyCAT (Python Chemometric Agile Tool), a modern web-based chemometric platform covering the full analytical workflow from data handling to multivariate modelling and image analysis. He also maintains a dedicated YouTube channel with tutorials to promote wider adoption of chemometric methods. His scientific output includes 19 peer-reviewed papers, 1 book chapter, 19 conference presentations, over 170 citations, complemented by specialized training courses delivered to industries and research centers worldwide.

Beyond his scientific pursuits, he is an accomplished athlete with notable achievements in rowing, including two Bronze Medals for Athletic Merit from CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) and seven Italian Rowing Championships. This unique combination of scientific rigor and athletic discipline informs his methodical approach to industrial problem-solving.

In 2026, Dr. Farinini was appointed as one of the official representatives of the Gruppo Giovani di Chemiometria (Young Chemometricians Group) within the Gruppo Tematico di Chemiometria della Società Chimica Italiana (SCI — Italian Chemical Society). In this role he acts as a point of reference for young researchers interested in chemometrics, coordinating initiatives and promoting the discipline within the Italian scientific community.