Inaugurazione del PhD+

Opening Session - Aula Gerace

Programme

"Welcome address", Massimo Mario Augello (Rector, Università di Pisa)

"PhD+ 2015. Setting the scene", Paolo Ferragina (Prorector for Applied Research and Innovation, Università di Pisa)

Round table moderated by Gail Edmondson (Editorial Director Science Business) with:

Benedetto Vigna, Executive Vice President, General Manager of the Analog, MEMS & Sensors Group at STMicroelectronics
Silvano Spinelli, Founder EOS S.p.A.

---

Benedetto Vigna was born in Potenza and graduated with a degree in Subnuclear Physics from the University of Pisa in 1994. Vigna joined STMicroelectronics in 1995 and launched the Company's efforts in MEMS. Under his leadership, ST's MEMS motion sensors found early success with large consumer-equipment manufacturers for motion-activated user interfaces and ST has become the MEMS top maker. More recently Vigna has piloted ST's successful moves into microphones, magnetic sensors, and touch-screen controllers, as well as environmental sensors, micro-actuators, and low-power radios. Since 2007, Vigna's mandate has also included Sensors, RF, High-Performance Analog and Mixed Signal, Interface, Audio for Portable, and General-Purpose Analog products. Vigna has filed more than 170 patents on micromachining to date, authored numerous publications, and delivered many speeches at international conferences. He sits on the industrial board of several EU-funded programs. In 2013 Vigna won the prestigious European SEMI Award for his contribution to the MEMS industry and was acknowledged as the Executive of the Year by the MEMS Industry Group.

Silvano Spinelli, graduated in Chemistry from the University of Pisa in 1976. He founded EOS S.p.A. (Ethical Oncology Science) in January 2006 and served as its Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors till November 2014 when EOS' share capital was bought by Clovis Oncology for US$400 mi. EOS has developed lucitanib, a Phase II dual VEGFR-FGFR inhibitor, which experts hope will result in strong efficacy in patients with FGF-aberrant tumors. Silvano was co-founder and CEO of Novuspharma, which completed its IPO on the Italian Nuovo Mercato in November 2000, raising north of €160 million, and finally merged with Cell Therapeutics, Inc.(CTI).