Miriam S. Vitiello

Miriam Serena Vitiello is an Italian physicist who is a researcher and professor at CNR NANO, the Istituto Nanoscienze. Her research considers the development and application loof terahertz devices. She was the first woman to win the Italian Physical Society Friedel-Volterra Award.

Early life and education Vitiello is from Policoro, Basilicata. She was passionate about the humanities and astrophysics when she was at high school. She earned her master's and doctorate in physics at University of Bari. During her university studies, she became more interested in solid state physics and optoelectronics. After earning her doctorate, she was a visiting scientist at the Technical University of Delft, LMU Munich and Paris Diderot University. She was made a postdoctoral researcher at Bari in 2006, and moved to the National Research Council Nanoscience Institute in 2010.

Research and career Vitiello joined the Scuola Normale Superiore in 2015, and was made Director of Research at the National Research Council in 2017.

Vitiello was awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant and FIRB "Future in Research" from the Ministry of Education, University and Research. She coordinates the terahertz work in the Graphene Flagship. In 2024, she was supported by the European Research Council to develop far-infrared imaging capabilities. These detectors are based on graphene, with ultra-fast response times, low power consumption, and room temperature operation.

Vitiello has made major breakthroughs in the field of cascade lasers; inventing quasi crystal terahertz systems with record efficiency and frequency combs with record dynamic range. She also demonstrated the first random laser that operated in continuous wave. She has developed several compact, high performance terahertz sources, which can be used for characterisation of advanced materials (e.g. topological insulators and molecular systems). In recognition of her contributions to terahertz science, she was the first woman to earn the Friedel-Volterra Award in 2020.

Awards and honours 2012: "Sergio Panizza" Award for Optoelectronics or Photonics 2015: Early Career SPIE Award 2016: Guido Dorso International Award 2018: Sapio Research and Innovation Award 2025: SPIE Quantum Sensing Achievement Award

Selected publications