Francesca Verga

Francesca Verga is a Full Professor in the Department of Environmental, Land and Infrastructure Engineering (DIATI) at the Polytechnic University of Turin, where she has been actively teaching and conducting research for multiple decades. She is a member of the Interdepartmental Center Ec-L - Energy Center Lab and serves on various doctoral college committees for programs related to Civil and Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Energy Transition.

Her research focuses on critical areas of energy transition, with particular expertise in underground energy storage systems. Dr. Verga's work spans CO2 storage, hydrogen storage, underground gas storage, and well testing methodologies. Her research interests are deeply aligned with global sustainability goals, particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Dr. Verga's recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward addressing the microbiological aspects of underground hydrogen storage, CO2 sequestration mechanisms, and advanced modeling of underground storage systems. Her work increasingly integrates biogeochemical processes with traditional energy engineering, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of modern energy transition research. The publications show a clear progression from fundamental reservoir characterization to complex system integration for sustainable energy solutions.

• SPE South Central and Eastern Europe Regional Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty (2011)
• TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands Prize (2005)
• Cedric K. Ferguson Certificate for the best peer-approved technical paper of the SPE (2003)

Dr. Verga actively supervises multiple PhD students including Chiara Magrini, Nacer Benlalam, Alberto Manuel Garcia Navarro, Alessandro Suriano, Giacomo Antonicelli, and Arianna Vizzarro. She has secured numerous research grants from both competitive calls and commercial contracts, including projects with Eni, Edison, and various national and international collaborations. Her current research portfolio includes the Polito-CIG framework collaboration for hydrogen-natural gas mixtures (2025-2029) and the SEASTAR Sustainable Energy Applied Sciences Competence Center.

As Scientific Director of the SEASTAR Competence Center and Contract Manager for multiple high-profile collaborations, Dr. Verga leads interdisciplinary teams focused on advancing underground energy storage technologies. Her laboratory work combines experimental approaches with advanced modeling techniques to address the complex challenges of energy transition, particularly in the areas of hydrogen storage safety, CO2 sequestration, and the conversion of depleted gas reservoirs for new energy applications.