Giacomo Cuttone

Giacomo Cuttone is a Research Director at the INFN - Southern National Laboratories of Catania (INFN-LNS), a leading Italian research institution in nuclear and accelerator physics with significant applications in medicine. He has held key national and international roles, including MIUR delegate for H2020-Euratom and Italian coordinator of the KM3NeT ESFRI project. Though not a university faculty member in the traditional sense, his academic-level research, teaching at the University of Catania, and leadership in large scientific collaborations affirm his status as a senior academic researcher.

• PhD in Physics, majoring in Nuclear Physics with specialization in Accelerator Physics, University of Catania (1983)

His research interests center on accelerator physics, medical physics, and hadrontherapy, with a strong focus on translating fundamental physics into clinical applications such as proton and ion therapy for cancer treatment. He has pioneered the development of the CATANA protontherapy facility, the first and only operational Italian center for ocular melanoma, treating over 500 patients. His work extends to neutrino astronomy (KM3NeT), Monte Carlo simulations (GEANT4), and nuclear fragmentation studies for therapy planning.

The 15 most recent articles reflect a consistent trajectory in medical applications of accelerators, beam physics, and interdisciplinary research. They span topics from protontherapy clinical outcomes and quality assurance to advanced ion source development and neutrino telescope instrumentation. Keywords such as Medical Physics, Accelerator Physics, and Nuclear Physics recur, with sub-fields including proton therapy, dosimetry, Geant4 simulation, and hadrontherapy technology transfer, highlighting his dual focus on fundamental science and real-world healthcare impact.

Scientific awards and recognitions include:

• Researcher of Excellence, awarded by VINCA Institute and Italian Embassy in Belgrade
• Selected for the Chair of Medical Physics at the University of Groningen (2017)
• Selected by INFN for Director of Legnaro National Laboratories (2009)

He has supervised numerous PhD and research students indirectly through INFN-LNS projects and collaborations, though specific names are not listed. He has led major grants including PON Km3NeT-Italia (€21M), EMSO-Medit (€4M), IDMAR (€40M), and ELIMED (€2.4M), demonstrating exceptional grant leadership. His work in technology transfer has resulted in commercial prototypes with companies like IBA, CAEN, and Detector, particularly in dosimetry and quality assurance systems.

Giacomo Cuttone leads or has led several major research teams and laboratories, including the CATANA protontherapy facility, the GEANT4-INFN collaboration, and the interdisciplinary marine lab IDMAR. He coordinated the MAESTRO European network and currently chairs the Sicilian regional table on protontherapy. As former Director of INFN-LNS (2011–2018), he significantly expanded the lab’s scientific, economic, and social impact, positioning it as a strategic research infrastructure in Italy.