Brief CV

Main

Since December 2019, I am General Director of the Office for Technical and scientific activities for the prediction and prevention of risks, of the Italian National Civil Defense Department, and office of the Italian Prime Minister.

A senior research scientist with the Italian Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), from 2009 to 2019, I was the Director (or deputy Director) of the CNR Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (IRPI).

Education

After graduating in Geology from the University of Perugia, in 1983, I received a PhD in Geography from the University of Bonn, in 2006, with a thesis on Landslide Hazard and Risk Assessment. 

From 1985 to 1986, I was a visiting scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, where I prepared small-scale landslide inventory maps for New Mexico (USA) under the supervision of Earl E. Brabb. 

Main projects

From 1992 to 2002, I coordinated the project AVI – Aree Vulnerate Italiane, producing a large catalogue of information on historical landslide and flood events in Italy. 

I was principal investigator for the MORFEO project, of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), for the exploitation of Earth observation data and technology for improved landslide detection, monitoring and forecasting, the FP7 DORIS project, an advanced downstream service for the detection, mapping, monitoring and forecasting of ground deformations at different temporal and spatial scales, and the FP7 LAMPRE project, LAndslide Modelling and tools for vulnerability assessment Preparedness and REcovery management. 

I participated to the NERC & DFID funded LANDSLIP project, Landslide Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment, Preparedness & Early Warning in South Asia: Integrating Meteorology, Landscape and Society.

For the Italian National Department of Civil Protection, I coordinated a project aimed at fostering the national capabilities to forecast rainfall induced landslides and the associated risk to the population in Italy. 

I coordinated the CNR technical and scientific activities in the area affected by the April 6, 2009, L’Aquila earthquake. 

Boards and more

From 2012 to 2019, I served in the “Commissione Nazionale Grandi Rischi”, of the Italian National Department of Civil Protection.

I served as President of the Natural Hazards Division of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).

I was an initiator of the EGU journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS), and I served as executive editor for the journal until 2015.  I serve in the Editorial Board of the journal Geomorphology.

From 2015 to 2017, I served as member of the Earth Sciences (GEV04) committee for the Italian national evaluation of the quality of research 2011-2014. 

In 2017, I obtained the Italian National Habilitation as Full Professor in Geomorphology, Physical Geography and Enginnering Geology. 

Awards & recognitions

(2021) European Geosciences Union, Sergey Soloviev Medal [https://www.egu.eu/news/701/egu-announces-its-2021-awards-and-medals/]

(2008) European Geosciences Union, Union Service Award [http://www.egu.eu/awards-medals/union-service-award/2008/fausto-guzzetti/]

Academies

Since 2023, corresponding member, Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences Class, of the Lincean Academy

Since 2021, member, section Earth & Cosmic Sciences, of the Academia Europaea

Since 2021, non-resident, corresponding member Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Class of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, Chemistry and Earth Sciences area