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BiographyUmberto Colombo is chairman of the scientific committee of the ENI Enrico Mattei Foundation, and of Foundation LEAD-Europe (Leadership for Environment and Development) in Geneva; President of Novamont S.p.A., Chairman of the Board of Alcantara Corp; member of the CNEL (Italian National Council for the Economy and Employment; member of the board of ENI S.p.A., ACEA S.p.A., ERICSSON S.p.A., the Energy Conversion Devices (U.S.A.) and was Italian Minister of Universities and Scientific Research from 1993 to 1994. Umberto Colombo was born in Livorno on December 1927, and received his doctorate in Physical Chemistry at the University of Pavia in 1950. He was awarded a Fullbright postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he carried out experimental research in the department of Chemical Engineering. A chemist and physicist, he is an expert on energy, the environment and scientific and technological policy. He was been President of ENI (the Italian National Hydrocarbon Industry) from 1982 to 1983, and of ENEA (the Italian National New Technologies, Energy and Environment Industry) from 1983 to 1993. In 1954 he headed the Geochemistry department at the G. Donegani Research Center of Montecatini Chemical Co. (later Montedison) and was appointed Director in 1967. From 1975 to 1978 he was General Manager of Montedison, in charge of Research and Corporate Strategic Planning. He was President of CNEN (National committee for Nuclear Energy) from 1979 to 1982 and President of the European Science foundation in Strasbourg from 1991 to 1993. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome, Honorary Trustee of the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies, U.S.A.; member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, of the European Academy, the European Academy of Science Art and, the Engineering Academies of Sweden, Switzerland, the USA, the United Kingdom and Japan, of the America Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Third Word Academy of Sciences and the New York Academy of Sciences. He is also a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development. He was Chairman of the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy from 1971 to 1975; of the European Association for the Management of Industrial Research (EIRMA) from 1977 to 1979; of the Committee for Science and Technology Policy of the European Communities from 1980 to 1987; of the United Nations Advisory Council on Science and Technology for Development from 1984 to 1986; member of the Universities Committee of the United Nations from 1985 to 1991; President of the Advisory Panel on Industry of the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) from 1986 to 1987; and member of the board of the Stockholm Environment Institute from 1989 to 1997. In 1984 he was awarded the Honda Prize for Energy Ecotechnology, and in 1991 the first Giulio Natta Medal by the Italian Chemistry Association. He served as Chairman of the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy from 1991 to 1995; of the Committee for Science and Technology Policy of the European Communities from 1980 to 1987; of the United Nations Advisory Council on Science and Technology for Development from 1984 to 1987; of the European Science Foundation from 1991 to 1993. In 1991 he received a honorary degree in Science by the Anna University of Madras and, in 1994, a honorary degree in Engineering from the Mendelejev University of Moscow. He is author of numerous books and over 200 essays and articles on energy, scientific and technology policy. In London in 1988 he gave the first Prestige Lecture of the Royal Society and the Fellowship of Engineering. In Stockholm in 1997 he gave the Guglielmo Marconi Lecture at the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, and in New Delhi in 1998, the Fifth Foundation Annual Lecture of the Tata Energy Research Institute. |
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BibliographyHis publications include:
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