Rosaria Rinaldi is Full Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Salento in Lecce. She directs the Nanomedicine, Nanobioelectronics and Nanobiotechnology Lab, focusing on lab-on‑chip devices and nanofabrication for applications in diagnostics and environmental sensing. She holds a PhD and has authored over 300 peer‑reviewed publications, along with 12 patents. Her research integrates advanced spectroscopy, microscopy, nanoparticle synthesis, and biosensing. She has coordinated more than 30 regional, national and EU research projects and served as Visiting Professor at TU Dresden under the Eleonore Trefftz Chair (2015–2016). An advocate for gender equity in science, she received the 2016 ITWIIN High Education Award and has held leadership roles at ISUFI and in national research evaluation. As of 2024, she serves as Delegate for Technology Transfer and Research Valorization at UniSalento.