Awarded to Ilaria Nardecchia the Virgo Award 2021
Ilaria Nardecchia, a researcher of the Virgo and INFN groups of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, is the winner of the first edition of the Virgo Award, assigned by the international Virgo collaboration annually to a young researcher for their significant contribution to the experiment.
The Virgo Award 2021, its first edition, was assigned to Ilaria Nardecchia “in recognition of her many relevant and continued contributions to the Virgo experiment, in particular of her deep involvement in the modeling and experimental activities which led to a successful implementation of the Virgo Thermal Compensation System”
The jury that selected the winner is composed of leading scientists in the field of gravitational wave physics: Lisa Barsotti (MIT Kavli Institute – LIGO), Monica Colpi (Università di Milano Bicocca, INFN), Gabriela Gonzalez (Louisiana State University), Frank Linde (Dutch National Institute of Subatomic Physics – Nikhef ), Catherine Nary Man (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – CNRS) e Andrea Vicerè (Università di Urbino, INFN).
“The achievements of the Virgo experiment, now recognized as a pillar in contemporary physics, rely on the work of many outstanding junior scientists, not always in the spotlight” – said Giovanni Losurdo, Virgo spokesperson – “The Virgo Award is a way to acknowledge such a crucial contribution. Congratulations to Ilaria Nardecchia, 2021 awardee, for this well deserved success!”
The award ceremony took place today at the European Gravitational Observatory, during the Virgo Week, a quarterly meeting of the entire international collaboration, held in person this week, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
“It is a pleasure and I’m very happy to receive this award from the Virgo collaboration – said Ilaria Nardecchia – Thanks to all people that had my back and walked with me along this way, since I was a student, 10 years ago”
Ilaria Nardecchia, 35 years old, abruzzese, loves the Northern wilderness and the Sea. Currently postdoc fellow at INFN Roma Tor Vergata. She got her Master Degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and her joint PhD in Astrophysics at University of Rome Tor Vergata and La Sapienza. She has been memeber of the Virgo Collaboration for the last 10 years, Her scientific acitivity is focues on the Thermal Compensatipon System R&D and commissioning.
