Dr Fabrizio Ortu

I am an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Sustainable Technology Theme Lead for the College of Science and Engineering. I obtained my BSc in Chemistry (2007) and MRes (2009) at the University of Sassari (Italy). In 2010 I moved to the University of Nottingham to undertake my PhD studies (2010-2014) under the supervision of Prof. Deborah Kays investigating Alkaline Earth metals and sustainable chemistry. I then moved to the University of Manchester to work as a PDRA with Prof. David Mills, Prof. Richard Winpenny, Prof. Steve Liddle and Dr Louis Natrajan. During this time I worked within various projects funded by several funding bodies and charities (EPSRC, ERC, STFC, Leverhulme Trust), covering a range of topics in f-element chemistry, including molecular magnetism and the nuclear industry. I joined the School of Chemistry at the University of Leicester in 2019 as a Lecturer and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023. Throughout my career I have had the chance to work as part of multidisciplinary teams at the interface between fundamental inorganic chemistry, sustainable chemistry, nuclear chemistry, materials science and chemical biology, and have established a wide network of collaborations in Europe, Asia and America.

My main research focus is on organometallic and coordination chemistry of s- and f-block metals.  Together with improving our fundamental understanding of these elements, we want to exploit their physicochemical properties to design new functional materials, and also to develop new compounds and methodologies applicable to materials recycling, sustainable chemistry and biological applications.

All the compounds produced by my research team are prepared using advanced Schlenk line and glovebox techniques. We then perform comprehensive characterisations of our compounds using a variety of spectroscopic and analytical techniques e.g. single crystal X-ray crystallography, multinuclear NMR, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, EPR, cyclic voltammetry.

There are several projects currently running in our group which include:

1. Identification of Alkaline and Rare Earth metals in unusual coordination motifs and oxidation states
2. Actinide and lanthanide chemistry applied to the nuclear sector
3. The use of mechanical forces for sustainable chemistry applications
4. Alkaline earth and rare earth organometallic chemistry
5. Lanthanide metallodrugs for cancer stem cell treatment

I also collaborate closely with teams at Space Park Leicester working on the development of Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS) for Earth and space exploration, offering advice on various aspects of nuclear chemistry.

I have published 64 research articles, with a h-index of 25 and over 3900 citations (Google Scholar). Several of my articles are in gold-standard journals such as Nature, Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications and Journal of the American Chemical Society., and also published a seminal review on Rare Earth and Lanthanide chemistry (Chemical Reviews, IF 55.8). This is a selection of recent publications:

1. Synthesis, characterization and reactivity of a series of alkaline earth and rare earth iminophosphoranomethanide complexes: M.P. Stevens, Y. Liu, E. Alexopoulos, S.S.A. Xec Daudo, A. Khan, R.R. Hawker, L. Lezama, D. Reta, F. Ortu, Commun. Chem., 2025, 8, 175. IF 6.2.
2. Osteosarcoma Cell and Osteosarcoma Stem Cell Potent Immunogenic Bi-Nuclear Gallium(III) Complexes: X. Feng, S. Dhandore, Y. Liu, K. Singh, F. Ortu, K. Suntharalingam, Chem. Eur. J., 2025, 31, e002500747. IF 3.7.
3. Synthesis and Characterisation of Phosphino-aryloxide Rare Earth Complexes: E. Alexopoulos, Y. Liu, A.W.J. Bowles, B.L.L. Réant, F. Ortu, Molecules, 2024, 29, 5757. IF 4.6.
4. Heavy Alkaline Earth Cyclic (Alkyl)(Amino)Carbene Complexes Supported by Aryl-silyl Amides: A.W.J. Bowles, Y. Liu, M.P. Stevens, F. Ortu, Inorg. Chem., 2024, 63, 22061. IF 4.7.
5. Mechanochemical Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Room Temperature Stable Calcium Electride: A.W.J. Bowles, J.A. Quirk, Y. Liu, G.H. Morritt, M. Freitag, G.F.S. Whitehead, A.W. Woodward, A. Brookfield, C.A.P. Goodwin, D. Collison, F. Tuna, C.L. McMullin, J.A. Dawson, E. Lu, F. Ortu, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 28914. IF 15.6.
6. Ligand Effects on the Spin Relaxation Dynamics and Coherent Manipulation of Organometallic La(II) Potential Qudits: L.E. Nodaraki, A.-M. Ariciu, D.N. Huh, J. Liu, D.O.T.A. Martins, F. Ortu, R.E.P. Winpenny, N.F. Chilton, E.J.L. McInnes, D.P. Mills, W.J. Evans, F. Tuna, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2024, 146, 15000. IF 15.6.
7. B(C₆F₅)₃-Catalyzed Dehydrogenation of Pyrrolidines to Form Pyrroles: A. Alvarez-Montoya, J.P. Gillions, L. Winfrey, R. R. Hawker, K. Singh, F. Ortu, Y. Fu, Y. Li, A.P. Pulis, ACS Catal., 2024, 14, 4856. IF 13.1.
8. Metal-carbon bonding in early lanthanide substituted cyclopentadienyl complexes probed by pulsed EPR spectroscopy: L.E. Nodaraki, J. Liu, A.M. Ariciu, F. Ortu, M. Oakley, L. Birnoschi, G.K. Gransbury, P. Cobb, J. Emerson-King, N.F. Chilton, D.P. Mills, E.J.L. McInnes, F. Tuna, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 3003. IF 7.5.
9. A Blueprint for the Stabilization of Sub-Valent Alkaline Earth Complexes: A.J.W. Bowles, Y. Liu, M.P. Stevens, I.J. Vitorica-Yrezabal, C.L. McMullin, F. Ortu, Chem. Eur. J., 2023, 29, e202307850. IF 3.7.
10. The Bulk Breast Cancer Cell and Breast Cancer Stem Cell Activity of Bi-nuclear Copper(II)-Phenanthroline Complexes: P. Osei, J. Northcote-Smith, J. Fang, K. Singh, F. Ortu, K. Suntharalingam, Chem. Eur. J., 2023, 29, e202301188. IF 3.7.
11. Structural Investigation of Magnesium Complexes Supported by a Thiopyridyl Scorpionate Ligand: M.P. Stevens, E. Spray, I.J. Vitorica-Yrezabal, K. Singh, V.M. Timmermann, L. Sotorrios, F. Ortu, Molecules, 2022, 27, 4564. IF 4.6.
12. Synthesis, Characterisation and Reactivity of Group 2 Complexes with a Thiopyridyl Scorpionate Ligand: M.P. Stevens, E. Spray, I.J. Vitorica-Yrezabal, K. Singh, V.M. Timmermann, L. Sotorrios, S.A. Macgregor, F. Ortu, Dalton Trans., 2022, 51, 11922. IF 3.3.
13. Rare Earth Starting Materials and Methodologies for Synthetic Chemistry: F. Ortu, Chem. Rev., 2022, 122, 6040. IF 55.8.
14. Photoluminescence of Pentavalent Uranyl Amide Complexes: F. Ortu, S. Randall, D.J. Moulding, A. Woodward, A. Kerridge, K. Meyer, H.S. La Pierre, L.S. Natrajan, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2021, 143, 13184. IF 15.6.
15. Studies of Hysteresis and Quantum Tunnelling of the Magnetisation in Dysprosium(III) Single Molecule Magnets: F. Ortu, D. Reta, Y.-S. Ding, C. A. P. Goodwin, M. P. Gregson, E. J. L. McInnes, R. E. P. Winpenny, Y.-Z. Zheng, S. T. Liddle, D. P. Mills, N. F. Chilton, Dalton Trans., 2019, 48, 8541. IF 3.3.
16. Field- and temperature-dependent quantum tunnelling of the magnetisation in a large 2 barrier single-molecule magnet: Y. S. Ding, K.-X. Yu, D. Reta, F. Ortu, R. E. P. Winpenny, Y. Z. Zheng, N. F. Chilton, Nature Commun., 2018, 9, 3134. IF 15.7.
17. Synthesis and Electronic Structures of Heavy Lanthanide Metallocenium Cations: C.A.P. Goodwin, D. Reta, F. Ortu, N.F. Chilton, D.P. Mills, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2017, 139, 18714. IF 15.6.
18. Molecular magnetic hysteresis at 60 kelvin in dysprosocenium: C. A. P. Goodwin, F. Ortu, D. Reta, N. F. Chilton, D. P. Mills, Nature, 2017, 548, 439. IF 48.5.
19. Actinide covalency measured by pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy: A. Formanuik, A.-M. Ariciu, F. Ortu, R. Beekmeyer, A. Kerridge, F. Tuna, E. J. McInnes, D. P. Mills, Nature Chem., 2017, 9, 578. IF 20.2.

The Ortu Group currently includes three PhD students . Every year we host BSc and MChem research projects, where the students who work alongside experienced members of our team and learn advanced techniques in inorganic and organometallic chemistry. 

We offer projects in the following topics:

1. Mechanochemical methods applied to green and sustainable chemistry
2. Actinide chemistry, separation techniques and applications in the nuclear industry
3. Fundamental alkaline earth coordination chemistry
4. Low oxidation state lanthanide chemistry

PhD studentships are advertised through the Ortu Group webpages, jobs.ac.uk and the University of Leicester website. We also support internships and research visits. Contact us directly for an informal chat if you're interested in joining the group!

I teach in several modules in our Chemistry BSc and MChem degrees:

• CH3202 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
• CH3205 Metals in Synthesis (module convenor)
• CH3205 Metals in Synthesis (DLI - module convenor)
• CH4201 Advanced Structural Determination

I am involved in General Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry modules (tutorials workshops revision sessions) and I supervise final year MChem and BSc projects.

I am available to offer expertise and professional advice on the following topics:

• Actininde, Rare Earth and Lanthanide chemistry
• Nuclear industry
• Sustainable chemistry
• Applications of inorganic chemistry in catalysis and materials science

I have been involved in the production of scientific material for outreach and TV shows, and have also have experience of working at the interface between academia and Government:

• Building careers and skills in S&T for national and global challenges (The Foundation of Science and Technology)
• Chemistry: colouring our reality (Springpod)
• Air Fryers: Are They Worth It? (Channel4)

Memberships of Scientific Societies:

• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
• Member of the American Chemical Society
• Member of the British Crystallographic Association

Other memberships:

• University of Leicester representative for the Energy Research Accelerator - part of the Nuclear Special Interest Group (2025 to present)
• University of Leicester representative for RSC East Midlands Local Section (2020-2024)

• 2024 Future Foundation Leader - The Foundation of Science and Technology
• 2022 Chemistry Staff Awards - Best Tutor
• 2021 Dalton Division Horizon Prize (Molecular Magnetism Group)
• Magnetochemistry Travel Award 2018 (ICCC2018 Sendai)
• Manchester & District RSC Local Section Bursary (ICOMC2016 Melbourne)
• Dalton Division Travel Grant (ICOMC2016 Melbourne)
• RSC Dalton Division UK/Canada Ambassador Bursary (CSC 2015 Ottawa)
• RSC Small Grant for Scientific Activities (2014/15)