Eugenio Coccia, director of the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), has been awarded the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the Presidency of the Italian Republic, in recognition of his outstanding scientific and civic achievements.

The honour acknowledges Coccia’s contributions over more than a decade to the development of scientific research and institutions in Italy, particularly his role in establishing the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) in L’Aquila following the 2009 earthquake. Coccia led the institute during its experimental phase from 2012 and became its first rector in 2016, when it was formally recognised as a higher education institution.

A leading experimental physicist in the field of gravitational waves, Coccia is among the scientists involved in their first direct detection, announced in 2016 by the LIGO–Virgo collaboration, a breakthrough later recognised with the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. He has also played a key role in the development of next-generation gravitational wave observatories, serving as Chair of the Collaboration Board of the Einstein Telescope project between 2022 and 2025.

Coccia previously directed the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (INFN) from 2003 to 2009, one of the world’s leading underground laboratories for astroparticle physics. He is currently Professor of Astrophysics at GSSI and, since 2023, President of the Italian National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks.

Since 2022, Coccia has served as director of the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE), where he contributes to strengthening the institute’s international scientific profile and its role in major global collaborations in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

The appointment as Grand Officer was published in the Italian Official Gazette on 2 April 2026. The award ceremony is expected to take place in Rome in May.