What does your new post mean to you?

My appointment, which begins in September, represents the first time a woman has been named as director of any of the National Institute's four labs. The National Laboratory is the world's largest underground lab for astroparticle physics, and my election is a sign that the institute is taking a big step forward and that women in science are now considered as qualified as men for such a post.

On a personal level, the position is a natural progression from the beginning of my career as a physicist. It will be my last role — a fitting completion. After this I will retire.

What do you consider your biggest challenge?

In April, a devastating earthquake in our region killed more than 200 people, injured 1,500 and left 55,000 homeless. Our lab activity never stopped completely because our building was built to withstand seismic activity. But people who work and live here are homeless. For me, the important challenge is helping the people. We have donated space for the region to set up a school, we host municipal and other meetings and we are involved in setting up a new interactive science museum in the ruined centre of L'Aquila.

What's your greatest scientific achievement?

I'm quite proud of my present experiment, the Oscillation Project with Emulsion Tracking Apparatus (OPERA), in which a muon-neutrino beam generated at the CERN particle-physics lab near Geneva, Switzerland, is directed towards our detectors. I chaired the OPERA policy- and decision-making board and helped to determine the design, construction and definition of the beam apparatus. We are trying to prove neutrino oscillation, in which a muon, tau or electron neutrino changes from one type to another.

Do bias and bureaucracy plague physics in Italy?

In particle physics, we may be in a better position than other fields. Politics has always been far, far away from our rules and internal government. Perhaps it's because we are always involved in international collaborations, so we must be able to work well with other scientists and other institutes. Otherwise we would disappear from the experiment.

What is the secret of scientific success?

You must do your job with great devotion, dedication, diligence and care. You must continually compare your ideas with those of your colleagues and share your objectives with colleagues. You do not impose your ideas on anyone.

What do you value most about the scientific process?

Intellectual honesty. It's a value that we should try to export to other fields, such as politics.