Erio Tosatti, Ph.D.

Erio Tosatti is a theoretical condensed matter physicist, working on the theory and simulation of nanofriction and in other research areas including strongly correlated superconductors, nanocontacts and ultrahigh pressure solids. He is the author or co-author of over 500 peer-reviewed papers.

Tosatti was a master’s student of D. Amati in high energy physics (Modena, 1967), then a Ph.D. student of F. Bassani in theoretical condensed matter physics (Scuola Normale Superiore Pisa, 1970) and later a postdoc of P.W. Anderson in many-body theory (University of Cambridge, 1972–1974). His permanent positions went from researcher with the Italian Research Council (CNR) at Rome University (1971–1977) and at Trieste University (1977–1980) to full professor at Trieste’s International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), where he created and directed for 30 years the condensed matter theory sector. In parallel, from 1977 onwards, he created and co-directed a group in the same field at Trieste’s International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)), a United Nations family institution that he also directed for a period, devoted to helping researchers in physics and mathematics in less developed countries. Emeritus at SISSA since 2014, he continues vigorous research under a European ERC grant, while serving as ICTP’s Chairman of Scientific Programmes.

Tosatti was a NATO and Royal Society Fellow at Cambridge (1972–1974), and a Senior NATO Fellow at Stanford University. He was awarded the Francesco Somaini Triennial Physics Prize, (1997), elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (2001), awarded the Tate Medal for International Leadership in Physics (2005), elected corresponding member, Accademia Nazionale del Lincei (2006), elected a foreign associate, U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2011) and elected a member of the Accademia Istituto Lombardo (2012).