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Jochen Schieck was awarded the Italian honorary title “Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia”

On 13 October, Jochen Schieck, Director of the Marietta Blau Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), was awarded the Italian distinction “Commendatore dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia” by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in recognition of his merits and upon the recommendation of the Italian Embassy in Vienna. The award was presented by Ambassador Giovanni Pugliese at the Italian Embassy in Vienna.

 

 15.10.2026
© ÖAW

The distinction recognizes Schieck’s significant contribution to strengthening bilateral relations between Austria and Italy, particularly in the field of scientific collaboration.

At the Marietta Blau Institute, Jochen Schieck established a research group dedicated to searching for dark matter. The group plays a major role in two experiments, CRESST and COSINUS, at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics, the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). In the COSINUS experiment, the Marietta Blau Institute is one of the founding institutions and plays a central role in the experiment’s design and construction, which is scheduled to begin data-taking in 2027.

In addition, Jochen Schieck has been instrumental in advancing the Marietta Blau Institute’s participation in the gravitational-wave experiment VIRGO in Cascina near Pisa. His work exemplifies the close and successful scientific collaboration between Austria and Italy.