Team

Prof. Luciano Maiani, an Italian renowned particle physicist, is currently a professor of theoretical physics at the Sapienza University of Rome and serves as the President of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. He previously held the position of Director-General of  CERN.

Having led multiple prominent research institutions, his leadership roles include:

President of National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) from 1993 to 1998

Chairman of the Applied Research Fund Committee of the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific Research (1995-1997)

Italian delegate to the CERN Council (1993-1996)

Director-General of CERN from 1999 to 2003

Prof. Maiani's groundbreaking scientific contributions include his 1970 proposal of the GIM mechanism with Prof. Sheldon L. Glashow and Prof. John Iliopoulos, which theoretically predicted the existence of the fourth quark (charm quark). This foundation enabled the establishment of the Standard Model of particle physics. The subsequent experimental discovery of the J/psi particle (composed of this fourth quark) by Prof. Samuel C.C. Ting and Prof. Burton Richter in 1974 earned them the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physics.

His international recognition is evidenced by numerous prestigious awards:

Matteucci Medal from the Italian Academy of Sciences

J.J. Sakurai Prize from the American Physical Society

Enrico Fermi Prize from the Italian Physical Society

P.A.M. Dirac Medal from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)