Prof. Marta Catellani is a renowned Italian chemist best known for discovering the Catellani reaction in 1997 — a palladium/norbornene-catalyzed multistep process that revolutionized the selective functionalization of aromatic compounds. Her work has had significant impact in the fields of organic synthesis, pharmaceutical development, and materials science.

She earned her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Parma in 1971, where she pursued her academic career, later becoming Chair of the Department of Organic Chemistry. Prof. Catellani also conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago under Jack Halpern, and held visiting professorships at institutions such as Moscow State University and the Beijing Institute of Technology.

Her research focuses on the development of palladium-catalyzed cascade reactions for efficient and selective C–H functionalization. She has received numerous international awards and honours for her scientific contributions.

Prof. Catellani was elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc) in 2016. She also served as a Scientific Committee Member of the Chemistry Division from March 2019 to April 2024, completing two terms, the latter of which was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.