Fabiola Gianotti is a distinguished leader in the field of particle physics and currently serves as the Director-General of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, a position she has held since January 1, 2016. She made history as the first woman to be appointed to this prestigious role and further distinguished herself as the first Director-General to be reappointed for a full second term beginning in 2021. Born on October 29, 1960, in Rome, Italy, Gianotti received her PhD in experimental particle physics from the University of Milan in 1989 and joined CERN as a research physicist in 1994, establishing a career marked by scientific excellence and leadership. Prior to her directorship, she served as the spokesperson for the ATLAS experiment from 2009 to 2013, a critical period that culminated in one of the most significant scientific discoveries of the 21st century.
As spokesperson of the ATLAS experiment, Gianotti played a pivotal role in the historic discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, a fundamental particle that explains how other particles acquire mass and completes the Standard Model of particle physics. She delivered the landmark presentation of the ATLAS results at CERN's seminar on July 4, 2012, announcing the discovery alongside the CMS collaboration, an achievement that has been widely recognized as one of the most significant breakthroughs in modern physics. Her leadership during this period demonstrated exceptional scientific rigor and management capabilities in coordinating one of the largest international scientific collaborations ever assembled, involving thousands of researchers from over 180 institutions worldwide. This groundbreaking discovery not only validated decades of theoretical predictions but also opened new avenues for exploring fundamental questions about the nature of the universe and the laws that govern it.
Beyond her scientific achievements, Gianotti has been widely recognized for her leadership and contributions to the global scientific community, receiving numerous prestigious honors including the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and the Enrico Fermi Prize from the Italian Physical Society. She holds multiple honorary doctoral degrees and is a distinguished member of several national academies, including the Italian Academy of Sciences, the United States National Academy of Sciences, and the French Academy of Sciences, underscoring her international standing in the scientific community. As Director-General of CERN, she continues to steer the organization's strategic direction, overseeing the operation and future development of the Large Hadron Collider and fostering international collaboration in fundamental research. Her vision for particle physics extends beyond current discoveries, emphasizing the importance of continued innovation in accelerator technology and detector systems to address profound questions about dark matter, dark energy, and the fundamental structure of the universe.
