Dr Felipe Fantuzzi is a theoretical and computational chemist and Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Kent, where he serves as Director of the Supramolecular, Interfacial and Synthetic Chemistry (SISC) group and Co-Director of Kent Astrochemistry, Irradiation, Origins and Space (KAIROS). He is also a Visiting Professor at the HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research (ATOMKI, Hungary), within the Experimental Molecular Physics Group; Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (Germany), within the Institute for Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis with Boron; and Universidad del Valle (Colombia), as a member of the Functional Molecular Materials Group (SIMERQO). He is a founding member of the Europlanet Regional Hub Colombia.

​

Felipe obtained a BSc in Chemistry with Technological Qualification, MSc and PhD in Chemistry from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). His doctoral research focused on electronic structure, quantum interference in chemical bonding and astrochemically relevant molecules, and was recognised with the Octávio Augusto Ceva Antunes Medal for the best PhD thesis. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at UFRJ, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the USA, and at JMU Würzburg and the MBN Research Center in Germany. During his training, he held fellowships from CAPES, CNPq, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and ASF-PNNL.

​

His research develops and applies quantum-chemical methods and multiscale modelling to investigate electronic structure, chemical bonding, molecular reactivity and complex chemical systems. His work spans three interconnected themes: Chemical Bond Theory & Foundations of Chemistry; Astrochemistry, Astrobiology & the Origin of Life; and Functional Molecular Design & Characterisation, with particular interests in boron chemistry, radiation-driven processes, bioactive molecules, molecular sensing, forensic chemistry and sustainable molecular materials.

 

Felipe coordinates and contributes to international research programmes spanning Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. These include MS-RADAM (Multiscale Phenomena in Radiation Damage), MOLESs (Molecular Excited State Spectroscopy), BALSA (Balloon-borne Laboratory for Stratospheric Astrophysics), the Royal Society-funded NUBIAN programme on bioactive molecules for neglected tropical diseases, and Europlanet initiatives connecting planetary science and astrochemistry across Latin America and Europe. As Principal Investigator or co-Principal Investigator, he has secured around £1 million in direct research funding to Kent and contributes to major international programmes with a combined value exceeding €7 million. A central element of this activity is the development of equitable international partnerships, research capacity and opportunities for early-career researchers.

​

His research has been recognised through distinctions including JCP Emerging Investigator, PCCP Emerging Investigator and a Commonwealth Chemistry Award. He is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Brazilian Chemical Society, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and serves on the Early Career Advisory Board of ChemCatChem, alongside editorial activities for Computation and Molecules. He has published more than 150 scientific articles, with research highlighted by outlets including Chemistry World, ChemistryViews and Scilight.

​

Outside academia, Felipe plays bass guitar with the Brazilian metal band Still Alive, with whom he has released an album.