Fabiola Gianotti

Fabiola Gianotti (Rome, 29 October 1960) is an Italian particle physicist, internationally renowned for her leading role in the discovery of the Higgs boson and for being the first woman to head CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. She grew up in Rome and Milan, attending a classical grammar school whilst cultivating an interest in music and philosophy. She graduated with a degree in Physics from the University of Milan and, in 1989, obtained her PhD in experimental particle physics. (home.cern)

Following various postdoctoral positions, she joined CERN as a researcher, taking part in major international experiments such as WA70, UA2, ALEPH and ATLAS. From 2009 to 2013, she led the ATLAS collaboration as spokesperson, coordinating thousands of scientists from dozens of countries. During this period, ATLAS and CMS announced the discovery of the Higgs boson, one of the most significant achievements in contemporary physics.

In 2014, she was appointed Director-General of CERN, taking up the post on 1 January 2016. She was the first woman to hold this position and, in 2019, also the first person in the organisation’s history to be reappointed for a second full term, which concluded in 2025. During her tenure, she promoted the development of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), international scientific cooperation and new strategic programmes for high-energy physics.

Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards, including the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2013), the Enrico Fermi Prize from the Italian Physical Society, the Tate Medal for International Leadership from the American Institute of Physics, and numerous honorary doctorates from universities around the world. He is also a member of prestigious international scientific academies.