Since May 2006 I am a postdoc in the Theory group at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research.

I am working on hexabenzocoronenes, trying to investigate the two main factors influencing the conductive properties of these systems: the relative position of the molecules in the liquid crystal mesophase and the nature of the conjugated core. The first aspect has been and will be investigated by atomistic and coarse-grained simulations. The chemical composition and the possibility of doping of the conjugated core will be investigated by a rational compound design approach in collaboration with Dr. O.A. von Lilienfeld.

In 2006 I finished my PhD on simulations of conjugated oligomers at Politecnico di Milano (group of Prof. G. Allegra and Prof. G. Raos). During my PhD I received a scholarship from the International Max Planck Research School and I spent six months between 2004 and 2005 at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research working on conjugated oligomers (oligofluorenes) with Prof. G. Wegner and Dr. N. van der Vegt.

Since May 2009 Valentina is working in the Center for Smart Interfaces, TU Darmstadt.