Giuseppe De Natale

The 2018 Sergey Soloviev Medal is awarded to Giuseppe De Natale for his fundamental contributions to the assessment and management of seismic and volcanic hazards and risk.

Giuseppe De Natale is an outstanding scientist who has brought to the field of natural hazards an extensive range of multidisciplinary research interests within seismology, geodesy, and volcanology. He has made numerous significant and world-leading contributions to the field of natural hazards.

Since the early 1980’s, De Natale has pioneered not only the joint inversion of seismic and geodetic data for the detailed modelling of large seismogenic faults and volcanic sources, but also the application of new technologies to the geophysical, geochemical and multi-parametric monitoring of active volcanoes and regions of high seismic hazard. His scientific achievements contributed to a greater understanding of the nature of recorded deformation in Europe’s most dangerous volcanic area, the Campi Flegrei caldera, near Naples, Italy. His leadership has established landmark advances in understanding volcanic unrest and has nurtured and enthused generations of early-career scientists.

De Natale’s direct contribution across different research fields has been more evident throughout the years and not only in scientific progression, but also in the direct benefit for society. He has tackled some of the most scientifically complex and socially pressing issues in volcanology and seismology. He has made fundamental contributions to the assessment and management of seismic and volcanic hazards and risks. He has coordinated several large consortia of Italian and international institutions for collaborative research and has been a senior adviser to Italy’s Department for Civil Protection. De Natale has been at the forefront of understanding the geophysics of active volcanoes and for applying the results to practical methods for evaluating and mitigating their hazards and risks.