Space, Simonetta Di Pippo director of See Lab Sda Bocconi: “It will be a center of global excellence”

“My goal is to make it an international and world center of excellence, the idea is to make it a center of accumulation of a network of Italian and international excellence so as to make the See Lab Bocconi a unique center in the world”. The Italian astrophysicist Simonetta Di Pippo, the first woman to receive the Hubert Curien award, has just been appointed new director of the Space Economy Evolution Lab (See Lab), the laboratory of SDA Bocconi, already has a very well-designed road ahead of her. The lab was founded in 2018 by Andrea Sommariva who passed away in August 2021 to study the economy of space and the economic effects of space activities. And, speaking with Adnkronos about her new post, Simonetta Di Pippo – who from 2014 to date has held the position of director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), based in Vienna – he underlines that at See Lab he will “strengthen all the collaborations initiated by Andrea Sommariva”. The goal, she anticipates, will be “to give even more value to the multidisciplinary synergies that Andrea Sommariva had established, I would like to expand the See Lab network to even more countries, thus making it a global center”. In the objective of astrophysics and physics of space there is an “See Lab even more multidisciplinary, with more and more synergies between all skills, and I think this aspect will make Bocconi a unique center in the world for the space economy”. “In short, I am very happy with this new adventure” comments Simonetta Di Pippo who was also Director of Human Flight at ESA, Director of Universe Observation at the Italian Space Agency and led the European Space Policy Observatory at Asi-Brussels. The Italian scientist was also an academic of the IAA (International Academy of Austronautics) and a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on space since 2016 and its co-President since 2020. During her career, Simonetta Di Pippo has been active in trying to balance the gender presence in the Stem world and in the aerospace sector. In 2009, she was the founder of the Women in Aerospace Europe networking platform, of which she is now Honorary President, and in 2017 she became UN International Gender Champion. In 2008, the International Astronomical Union (Iau) assigned the name ‘dipippo’ to asteroid 21887 in honor of her contributions to space activities and in 2006 she was awarded the title of Official Knight of Merit by the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.