A leading expert in atmospheric and ocean sciences, Bracco brings her international experience and interdisciplinary approach to CMCC, to contribute to the advancement of research on ocean vulnerabilities, climate solutions, and sustainability.

“Environmental sustainability and climate change are the biggest challenges of our time. They are wicked problems that interest many different groups of stakeholders with competing interests, and require holistic, transdisciplinary approaches and collaborative reasoning in search of long-term, future-focused solutions.”

With these words, Annalisa Bracco, an internationally renowned climate scientist, marks the beginning of a new chapter at CMCC. Currently a Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she has taught for the past 18 years and served as Associate Chair for Research at the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Prof. Bracco is joining CMCC in May, bringing with her a distinguished career at the intersection of atmospheric and oceanographic sciences.

“The CMCC Foundation has the structure, vision and resources to relentlessly catalyze high-impact research in this space and cultivate partnerships and projects that translate knowledge into practice,” she states. “While this is – or should be – a global aspiration, Italy is especially vulnerable and urgently needs pathways forward, and I am honored and humbled to be able to return my competencies and experience home after 20 years in the United States.”

Throughout her career, Prof. Bracco has held leading roles in the scientific community, including serving as Chair of the CLIVAR Scientific Steering Group, one of the most influential international committees in climate research. Her scientific contributions, with more than one hundred peer-reviewed publications, span topics such as geophysical fluid dynamics, ocean turbulence, the interaction between circulation patterns and marine ecosystems, and the application of machine learning to climate forecasting and ocean connectivity studies.

At CMCC, Prof. Bracco will join the research activities of the Institute for Earth System Predictions (IESP), where she will contribute to advancing climate modeling capabilities and fostering scientific insights into predictive and planning tools in support of response to emerging climate risks at a local and global scale. IESP’s expertise—ranging from multi-scale physical and biogeochemical modeling and predictive systems, operational ocean forecasting and new data-driven approaches—closely aligns with her background and research focus.

“I will be focusing on the ‘ocean side’ of things, on both vulnerabilities – think marine heat waves, increased extreme events, coral reef disappearance, increased pollution, loss of ocean biodiversity – and solutions, from local and regional solutions – for example, trying to understand how to best monitor coral reefs cheaply but effectively, or how to best manage fisheries – to global solutions such as helping establish verification criteria for ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) deployments,” she explains. “In my work, I will use all the tools at my disposal, from models of different complexity to artificial intelligence.”

In this new endeavor, Prof. Bracco aims to maximize the collective impact of CMCC’s research community across Italy, Europe, and the world: “My hope is to contribute towards maximizing the collective impact of the CMCC research community across all areas of climate sustainability. By catalyzing collaborative research and connecting our researchers with key external partners and communities, I will work towards positioning CMCC to be a global leader in climate change and sustainability. At the same time, with my own research, I hope to contribute meaningful solutions to some of our most pressing environmental and social challenges, especially in relation to the ocean.”

“We are honored to welcome Annalisa Bracco to the Institute for Earth System Predictions at CMCC as a senior scientist,” says Simona Masina, IESP Director. “Prof. Bracco brings exceptional expertise in geophysical fluid dynamics and her pioneering work at the intersection of physical oceanography and machine learning will greatly enhance CMCC’s capacity to develop advanced, data-driven tools for understanding and predicting Earth system dynamics. Her presence will not only strengthen CMCC’s scientific leadership but also foster new global partnerships and enhance Italy’s role in the international climate science landscape. Prof. Bracco is also a strong advocate for holistic and transdisciplinary approaches to research, aiming to bridge scientific domains to effectively address the complex, interrelated challenges posed by environmental and climate change. Her vision and scientific leadership will be instrumental in advancing CMCC’s strategic goals of fostering innovative, integrative science to support policy and societal resilience in the Euro-Mediterranean region and beyond.