Fabiola Gianotti

Fabiola Gianotti is a leading research physicist at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the first woman to serve as its Director-General since January 1, 2016. Her career at CERN, spanning since 1994, has been pivotal in advancing particle physics, particularly through her leadership of the ATLAS experiment during the Higgs boson discovery in 2012.

Education:

• Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of Milano (1989)

Research Interests: Gianotti's work focuses on accelerator-based particle physics and high-energy physics, involving detector R&D, software development, and data analysis for experiments like ATLAS. Her contributions have cemented her as a global authority in particle physics.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• 2023 Madame de Staël Prize (ALLEA)
• 2020 Ordinary Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
• 2019 Bruno Pontecorvo Prize
• 2015 Honorary Doctorate from University of Edinburgh
• 2014 Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• 2013 Enrico Fermi Prize and Niels Bohr Institute Medal of Honour
• 2012 Special Fundamental Physics Prize and Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
• 2012 Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica
• 2009 Commendatore by President Giorgio Napolitano
• Foreign associate member of the US National Academy of Sciences
• Foreign member of the French Academy of Sciences
• Multiple honorary doctorates from top universities (Uppsala, EPFL, McGill, Oslo, Edinburgh)

Leadership and Recognition: Gianotti has served on influential committees, including the UN Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board and the Scientific Council of CNRS (France). She is celebrated as a trailblazer, featured in The Guardian's Top 100 Most Inspirational Women (2011), Time magazine's Personality of the Year (2012), and Forbes' Top 100 Most Influential Women (2013).