Laura Conte (M.Sc. in Biological Sciences, University of Lecce, 2003; Ph.D. in Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Salento, 2007) is currently Institute Manager of the Institute for Earth System Predictions (IESP) at the Fondazione CMCC, where she has been working since 2012.

Until June 2024 she was Division Manager of the Advanced Scientific Computing (ASC) Division, supporting the Division Director in management and strategic activities. At the same time, as Senior Scientific Manager and Project Manager, she managed a large portfolio of over 20 European, national and regional research projects.

In her previous positions, she developed strong expertise in bioinformatics, molecular biology and climate data management, with a focus on distributed systems, data infrastructures and interoperability of climate services.