Two and a half months at the Gran Sasso Science Institute

About two and a half months have passed since I started working at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI). I still have much to learn about the functioning of the Italian university system (and even of the GSSI), and it is already clear that there will be many of its aspects that I will probably never learn. However, my impression so far is that the level of bureaucracy in Italy is definitely higher than that in the countries where I have previously worked.

On page 88 of this interesting article, the historian Rogers Hollingsworth writes:

"One of the factors influencing creativity at the level of the nation state is the institutional environment in which scientists conduct research. I code scientific institutional environments as ranging from weak to strong. Weak institutional environments exert only modest influence (1) on the appointment of scientific personnel of research organizations, (2) in determining whether a particular scientific discipline will exist in a research organization, (3) over the level of funding for research organizations, (4) in prescribing the level of training necessary for a scientific appointment (e.g., the habilitation), and (5) over scientific entrepreneurship (e.g., the norms of individualism that socialize young people to undertake high-risk research projects). Strong institutional environments are at the opposite end of the continuum on each of these characteristics. Weak institutional environments have tended to facilitate greater scientific creativity in a society than strong institutional environments..."

(The emphasis is mine.) According to the above description, the Italian scientific institutional environment can only be classified as strong, for good or for worse. Fortunately, the GSSI is a centre for advanced studies and an international PhD school. Even though it has to follow the Italian law, with all its quirks, it is more nimble and less rigid  than the average Italian university. Moreover, most of the bureaucracy is hidden to the junior members of our faculty, such as the assistant professors, who can largely concentrate on the scientific work.
 
I have always appreciated the work that Italian researchers have been carrying out over the years, but what I have seen so far has increased my esteem for them even more. In spite of the extremely rigid system within which they are forced to operate, they manage to be productive and to maintain a strong commitment to their research work, achieving a high level of scientific production, both in quality and in quantity. The GSSI hosts a number of top-class academics in its four fields of research (computer science, mathematics, physics and social sciences) and this creates a stimulating environment for faculty and students alike.

The computer science group at the GSSI is still too small, but it seems to me that it punches well above its weight. Its members are very dedicated and have done an amazing job since the beginning of the GSSI adventure. (It was a humbling learning experience for me to present their achievements to the Scientific Advisory Board of the GSSI last Monday.)

It is clear that our group needs to grow, but we want to do so well. If you work in one of the research areas that we cover, at their intersection or in sister ones, and you think you'd be interested in working in L'Aquila with our faculty, do drop one of us a line, sending your CV and an expression of interest. We are keen to recruit strong researchers at all levels who can help us build the best international research centre in computer science we can. I can vouch that the computer science group at the GSSI provides young researchers with early-career autonomy in a nurturing environment, which isn't very common in Italy (as far as I know), and with the opportunity to become involved in the supervision of doctoral students. There are also resources for inviting collaborators and organizing thematic events, amongst other things.

It will be interesting to see how the computer science group will develop at the GSSI over the coming year.