Prof. GianCarlo Ghirardi - Università degli studi di Trieste

GIANCARLO GHIRARDI - CURRICULUM VITAE
Born in Milan, Italy, on october 28, 1935.
Graduated in Physics, Summa cum Laude, at the University of Milan, July 15,1959.
Research positions: Research Associate of the National Commitee for Nuclear
Research (CNRN) at the Ispra Research Centre, presently an EURATOM centre
(1959-60); Research Associate of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics
(INFN), Theoretical Group of the University of Milan (1960-62) and Trieste
(1962-on).
Teaching activities: several courses at the Universities of Parma (1961-63), Pavia
(1961-62), Trieste (1962-77). Fields: Nuclear Physics, Mathematical Methods for
Physics, Mathematical Physics, History of Science. From 1965 he has always
taught the basic course of Quantum Mechanics at Trieste, besides other courses on
related topics. At postgraduate level: courses at the Advanced School of the
University of Trieste (1963-74) and at the International School for Advanced
Studies, Trieste (1974-86). Fields: Scattering Theory, Mathematical Methods for
Physics, Symmetries in Quantum Theories, Group Theory, and at the Courses for
PhD of the Trieste University: Mathematical and Conceptual Foundations of
quantum mechanics, Quantum computation and quantum cryptography. Abroad:
One semester course of General Physics at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio,
USA (1964) and two one quarter courses on Scattering Theory and Symmetry
Principles at the University of Santiago, Chile (1971). Short series of lectures in
many Universities over all the world.
Academic Positions: Assistant Professor (1962-76) at the Universities of Parma and
Trieste. Full Professor of Quantum Mechanics (1976-on) at the University of
Trieste. Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the University of
Trieste_(1981-1985), Director of the Department of Theoretical Physics of the
University of Trieste (1985-91). Member of the Committee for the Personell of
the University of Trieste (1979-87). Representative member of the FriuliVenezia Giulia Region in the Council of Administration of the Research AREA
of Trieste (1990-93). Director of the "Foundations of Quantum Mechanics"
Section of the Interdisciplinary Laboratory of the International School for
Advanced Studies, Trieste (1991-1997). Representative Member for the Trieste
University in the Scientific and Technical Committee for the Agreement
University of Trieste-University of Udine and SISSA(1993-97). Representative
Member for the Trieste University of the Administrative Council of the
International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste (1993-1997). Director of the
Department of Theoretical Physics of the University of Trieste (1993- 1999).
Member, as the representative of the Ministry of Education and Scientific
Research of the Directory board of the Consorzio per l'incremento degli Studi e
Ricerche in Fisica (1990-on). From 2003 up to now he has been the President of
the same Instituion.
Consultantship positions: Consultant and Member of the Academic Board of the
International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy (1975-on).
Head of the Associates and Federation Arrangements Programmes (1990-on).
Academic Recognitions: Winner (1959) of one of the six prizes of the Italian
Physical Society for students graduated after 1957. Dozent in Theoretical Physics
(1966). One of the winners of the national competition for full professorships in
Theoretical Physics (1975), Winner of the Rovis prize for scientific popularization
(2000). Has been honoroured with the nomination of Distinguished Scientist of
the Italian Physical Society (2011) and of the assignement of the Seal of the
Province of Trieste for his scientific contributions.
Societies: Member of the Italian Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science (1986on), member of the Italian Physical Society (1959-75 and 1991-on), Member of
the International Quantum Structures Association (1992-on), Member of the New
York Academy of Sciences (1994-on).
Refereeing Activities: Referee of: Il Nuovo Cimento, Nuovo Cimento Letters (now
Europhysics Letters), Rivista del Nuovo Cimento, Physical Review, Physical
Review Letters, Journal of Mathematical Physics, Physics Letters A and B,
Foundations of Physics, Foundations of Physics Letters, Nuclear Physics,
European Journal of Physics, Journal of Physics A and various other journals.
Other non academic positions: Director of the Science Section of the Society for
Culture and Arts of the city of Trieste (1985-92), Member of the Directory
Committee of the Italian Society for Logic and Philosophy of Science (19901996), Member of the Standing Committee of the International Colloquia on
Group Theoretical Methods in Physics (1986-1996), Member of the Editorial
Board of the European Journal of Physics (1991-1996), Member of the Editorial
Advisory Board of Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Science,
Pergamon Press (1995-on), Member of the Editorial Board of Foundations of
Physics (1997-on), Quantum Mechanics and quantum information theory
Editor of Journal of Physics A, Member of the Editorial Board of the book series
FUNDAMENTAL THEORIES OF PHYSICS_(published by Kluwer Academic
Press), one of the Founders and the first President of the Italian Society for the
Foundations of Physics(1996-2004).
Research Fields: Potential Theory, Scattering Theory, Symmetries in Quantum
Theories, Algebraic Methods, Relativistic Equations, S-Matrix Theory, Unstable
Sytems and Decay Processes, Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics,
Conceptual Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Information and
Computation.
Invitations: Invited speaker to many International Symposia, has delivered invited
talks in many universities and scientific institutions in over 40 different countries
and has been invited to write review articles or invited contributions for many
journals (see the attached material and list of publications).
Publications: Author or co-author of more than 170 papers, almost all in International
Journals or in the proceedings of Internatinal Conferences. Co-author, with L.
Fonda, of the book: Symmetry Principles in Quantum Theories, M. Dekker, N.Y.,
1970. Author of a contribution of about 300 pages to the book: Filosofia della
Fisica, Bruno Mondadori Editore, Milano, 1997. Author of the book "Un'occhiata
alle Carte di Dio", Il Saggiatore, Milano, 1997 (Note: this book has appeared with
the title “Sneaking a look at God’s Cards”, for the Princeton University Press
USA, 2004).
Organization: He has been one of the organizers of many international conferences
on foundational issues. Among them one has to mention the Meeting (Trieste
1989): Bridging the Gap, Phylosophy, Mathematics and Physics, whose
proceedings appeared in the series Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science,
the two extremely relevant Meetings held at Bielefeld under the title: Quantum
mechanics without Observers, a Meeting organized in collaboration with Edoardo
Amaldi for the 25th anniversary of the UNESCO: Science in Europe, one of the
International Colloquia on Group Theoretical Methods in Physics. Many other
events have been organized by Ghirardi alone or in collaboration with important
scientists, for example two Schools on the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics,
one in Trieste and one in Urbino etc.