Eugenio Coccia

Eugenio Coccia is a world-renowned experimental physicist and Full Professor at the Gran Sasso Science Institute in L'Aquila, Italy, and since 2022, the Director of the Institute for High Energy Physics (IFAE) in Barcelona, Spain. With over 40 years of leadership in gravitational wave research, he contributed to the first GW observation awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. His work spans detector development, astroparticle physics, and cryogenic technologies.

• Graduated (1980) in Physics, University of Rome
• Postdoc and Fellow at CERN (1981–1985)
• Full Professor, University of Rome Tor Vergata (2000–2016)
• Director, Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (2003–2009)
• Founded Gran Sasso Science Institute (2013) and served as Rector (2016)
• Chair, Einstein Telescope Collaboration Board

Research Interests center on gravitational wave detectors, quantum technologies, cryogenic detector design, and astroparticle physics. His work includes advancements in 3He-4He refrigeration, DC SQUID electronics, and gravitational radiation detection systems. He has led experiments like EXPLORER and NAUTILUS and remains integral to the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration.

Publications include over 400 peer-reviewed articles focusing on gravitational wave detection, detector sensitivity, and cosmic transient analysis. His recent work explores gamma-ray burst correlations, binary black hole mergers, and cosmic string constraints using LIGO-Virgo data.

Scientific Awards include the

• 2023 President of the National Commission for Forecasting and Prevention of Major Risks
• 2017 Volta Medal and European Physical Society Fellowship
• 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize for Fundamental Physics, Gruber Cosmology Prize, and Einstein Medal
• 2015–2017 Roles in international astroparticle committees
• 2012 Giuseppe Occhialini Medal and 1983 Young Physicist Prize

Leadership and Collaboration: Directed INFN Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (2003–2009), co-founded Gran Sasso Science Institute (2013), and chaired INFN Scientific Committee on Astroparticle Physics (2002). He has served on ECFA, PANAGIC, and panels for CERN, OECD, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.