The leader of one of the teams at Cern responsible for identifying the Higgs boson, Fabiola Gianotti’s career there began with a fellowship in 1994. Since then she has won many awards, and in 2013 became one of 26 scientists appointed to the UN Secretary General’s scientific advisory board. Gianotti came to physics from an artistic background having studied literature, ancient Greek, history of art and music—she trained as a pianist at the Milan Conservatory. But it was her passion for philosophy that pushed her towards science and a career devoted to answering life's most challenging questions. "You need a lot of motivation, a lot of energy, and a lot of curiosity...The search for knowledge is a long and difficult task," she told The Guardian.
Further reading
Discovering the Higgs boson: An interview with Fabiola Gianotti
Return to World Thinkers 2014 voting form
