Gianluca R. Valensise

Gianluca Valensise (born 27 December 1958) is an Italian geologist and seismologist.

Biography Valensise (right) with engineer Giuseppe Palamara at Geo-INQUIRE 2026 in Messina. Born on 27 December 1958 in Rome, Italy, Valensise graduated in Geological Sciences from the Sapienza University of Rome in 1982 and obtained a PhD in Solid Earth Geophysics from the same university in 1987.

He has worked at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) since 1983, becoming Research Director in the Seismology and Tectonophysics Section in 1997.

He has held visiting positions at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1987–1989), the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park (1990) and the University of Southern California (1992).

Research Valensise has had numerous international collaborations, especially with University of Southern California. His main research focuses on the relationship between active faults, paleoseismology and historical seismicity, with particular attention to the creation and maintenance of the DISS database and the Catalogue of Strong Earthquakes in Italy and the Mediterranean (CFTI).

Recognition Valensise’s research has been widely cited in the international scientific community (about 12,000 citations on Google Scholar) and has contributed significantly to the understanding of active tectonics and seismic hazard in Italy.

Awards for his research include: SIGEA-APS Award 2021

Books