The Inaugural Alessandro Volta Prize Ceremony and Symposium
COMO 2 October 2026
Collaboration, friendship, kindness and humanity were at the heart of the inaugural Alessandro Volta Prize ceremony, organised by Acinque and the European Physical Society. The event celebrated both scientific achievement and the human relationships that make discovery possible.
Prof. Jean Dalibard received the prize with the citation:
“for his pioneering contributions to laser cooling and light-matter interactions, and for groundbreaking experimental and theoretical results in the quantum many-body physics of ultracold gases”
Nobel laureates Prof. Alain Aspect and Prof. William (Bill) Phillips paid tribute to Dalibard’s scientific achievements in their laudations. They recalled his many experimental and theoretical contributions, from skilfully cutting cardboard baffles as a master’s student in Aspect’s laboratory to his role in developing the magneto-optical trap.
Beyond Dalibard’s remarkable intellect, these recollections revealed a strong sense of community, friendship and collaboration. Time and again, scientific advances emerged from conversations, shared ideas and friendly debate amongst colleagues.
Phillips recalled how Jean and Barbara Dalibard had encouraged these exchanges by welcoming scientists into their home. In gratitude for their hospitality, he presented them with a pair of Jefferson cups.
In his address, Dalibard emphasised that connections in science extend beyond relationships between individual researchers. He highlighted the role of learned societies, including the European, French and Italian Physical Societies, in supporting physics and physicists nationally and internationally. Their work, he noted, is especially important at a time of growing anti-science sentiment.
Como itself provided a fitting setting for these reflections. The prize honours Alessandro Volta, one of the city’s most celebrated figures, whose work earned international recognition during his lifetime. His inventions quickly found applications across Europe, and Napoleon rewarded his achievements.
The ceremony also offered an opportunity to look ahead. Prof. Umberto Piarulli, Pro-Rector of the University of Insubria, and Stefano Cetti, CEO of Acinque, both emphasised the enduring value of scientific research and the contribution that exploring the unknown can make to society. Their remarks echoed a central message of the day: supporting discovery also means nurturing the people and relationships that make it possible.
