When I was 12 years old, on a school trip to France, we visited a nuclear power plant. It seemed so incredible to me that it was possible to create energy by splitting an atom that I decided I wanted to study physics. Then, in secondary school where I took classical studies with Latin and Greek, I lost my motivation; the physics topics we studied didn’t seem so interesting anymore. Then, an older friend took me to a physics lecture at the university, and, listening to the physics professor, I was hooked.

I currently have professional responsibilities in research, teaching, and management: I am head of an experimental group working in quantum simulation with ultracold atoms; scientific director of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information; and a university professor teaching undergraduate and graduate students.

I think the achievement I am most proud of is that, together with my team, we have played a key role in opening a new field of research with ultracold quantum gases, namely the one using exotic atomic species belonging to the rare-earth family, which are highly magnetic and have several properties fully new to the field. This enabled the discovery of new quantum effects and phenomena which have an important impact in modern quantum many-body quantum physics. Today, this field is rapidly growing, gaining momentum at a fast pace because of the simplicity with which these systems can be created, and because of the incredible portfolio of new properties for quantum simulation. With my group, we have gone where almost no one had gone before; it was risky, but it is extremely rewarding to see the interest of the scientific community in this new direction today.

My biggest challenge has been, and partially still is, to understand, accept, and live with the concept of competition in a primarily male environment that requires that I must sometimes follow rules that are surprising to me.

I have been fortunate because, from my student time to my post-doc fellowship, I’ve had mentors who really gave me the right advice and support. I try to give my students this same type of advice today.

A southern Italian proverb translates to, “Where there is taste, there is no loss.” It means that when you follow a passion, you are never wrong! That is what my first mentor used to tell me since very early in my career path.

Francesca Ferlaino
Professor, University of Innsbruck, Austria; Research Director, Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI), Austrian Academy of Science
Born in Italy / Resides in Austria
Educational Background: Diploma in Physics, University Federico II, Naples, Italy; PhD in Physics, University of Florence, Italy