Cristina Africh is research director at CNR-IOM in Trieste (Italy), where she heads the Surface structure and reactivity at the atomic scale group.

She is expert in the use of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) for the study of surface structures and processes. In particular, she is interested in the in-operando investigation of the kinetics of surface chemical reactions and growth processes, by acquisition of STM movies with atomic resolution in reactive environment and up to video frame-rate. Her recent research focuses on the study of transition-metal-doped graphene, grown via low-pressure CVD on metallic substrates, clarifying its growth mechanisms at the atomic level as well as its morphology, electronic structure and chemical activity.

Combining state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to design and characterize innovative synthesis protocols for 2D materials.