2025 Humboldt Research fellowship a Giulia Mingardi

Giulia Mingardi, currently completing her PhD at the École Normale Supérieure in cotutelle with the University of Pavia at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (Fiorenzo Mazzi Experimental Mineralogy Lab), has been awarded a prestigious two-year Humboldt Research Fellowship. The Humboldt Fellowship represents a major milestone in her scientific career and will offer her the opportunity to deepen international collaborations and contribute to fundamental advances in the understanding of stress-induced transformations in materials.

Giulia’s research interest lies at the frontier between geophysics, materials science, and high-pressure physics. By integrating synchrotron-based observations with theoretical models, she aims to gain new insights into the mechanisms that govern material behavior in conditions relevant to both natural and laboratory analog systems.

As part of the fellowship, she will conduct cutting-edge research at Heidelberg University, where she will carry out high-precision experiments at the synchrotron under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. Her work will focus on phase transitions triggered by differential stress and fracturing processes, combining experimental techniques with advanced numerical modeling.

Throughout her academic path, Giulia was awarded the Sclocchi Award for her Bachelor’s thesis, the national ConScienze Award for her Master’s thesis, and won the “3 Minute Thesis” competition in Pavia in 2024 for her ability to clearly and engagingly communicate complex research topics.