Prof Antonio Ficarella

• Head of the Department of Engineering for Innovation
• University of Salento, Italy

Head of the Department of Engineering for Innovation at University of Salento (ITALY) (2013-2015, and 2019-today).
President of the ITS (High Technical Institute) Academy Aerospace Foundation (since 2013).
Dean of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering (2008-2012). President of the Industrial Engineering School (2012-2013).
Member of the Board of Directors of the Aerospace Technological Cluster (Distretto Tecnologico Aerospaziale, DTA) (2009-2015, 2020-today).
Director of CRISR – Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience.
Member of the ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) Europe Working Group 5, and member of the Italian Council of ACARE (since 2012). Author of the Italian Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
Member of the Technical Committee of CTNA – Italian Aerospace Technological Cluster (since 2012).
He is involved in EASN (European Aeronautics Science Network) activities since 2014.
He studied at Von Karman Institute (Belgium), an institution devoted to training and research in aerodynamics which would be open to young engineers and scientists of the NATO nations.
He was professor of Aeronautical Propulsion, Aircraft Powerplant and Systems, Fluid-dynamics, Sustainability of Propulsion and Energy Systems, Machinery, Energy Systems, Design and Management of Energy Systems, Industrial Energy Management.
Registered in the Expert List of Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, for the evaluation of projects regarding the scientific and technological research and the industrial development. Scientific adviser of the Ministry for Economic Development.
Scientific coordination of several international projects.

Director of CRISR – Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience.
It is engaged in research activities for the security and resilience of critical infrastructures and territories, often in collaboration with the Civil and Military Corps of the State, and within the framework of international collaborations that also involve the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Among the latest events, it is worth mentioning the participation in the conference “Hybrid Threats and New Challenges for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures”, organized by the Air Force Command Team 1a Air Region of the Aeronautica Militare (CSA 1a RA), in collaboration with the Department of Innovation Engineering of UniSalento, and with the University of the Bio-Medical Campus of Rome, held at the Palazzo dell’Aeronautica Militare in Milan.
The activity covered resilience as the ability of our society – and its infrastructure – to respond to changes, such as climate change, and destructive events, such as industrial explosions and accidents, earthquakes, attacks, as well as events that destroy the various supply chains, such as pandemics, wars, associated with the other great issue, sustainability.
Resilience and sustainability also lead to new social concepts, of great relevance, such as smart cities and energy communities, and therefore a new way of being of society and our presence on Earth. The ability of new digital tools, such as Internet of Things technologies, to dialogue between technical and technological systems that revolve around people’s lives can lead to a general strengthening of the sustainability and safety of our cities, our societies, and the environment.

Scientific coordination of several international projects.