The Enrico Fermi Fellowships project targets top-level students interested in fundamental questions, offering them the possibility of training across the experimental/theory divide. It provides scholarships to theory students interested in training with an experimental team and to students in experimental science interested in training in a theory group.
The dialog between theory, on the one hand, and experiment and observations, on the other, is a core feature of science. Scientists capable of mastering both sides of this divide, such as Enrico Fermi, who gave the name to this program, or Kip Thorne, recent Nobel Laureate for the detection of gravitational waves, play an indispensable role in our search for a better understanding of Nature. Yet, in fields where the big open questions are addressed, today’s urgency for specialization and career pressure often hinder the possibility of training across the experiment–theory divide.
The project aims to contribute to the formation of top-level scientists capable of mastering both the theoretical and the experimental side of research and thinking with a more open mind. The project also aims to raise awareness of the need for a wider angle in advanced scientific education, which today is often challenged by narrow specialization
The project's success is assured thanks to the inclusion of eminent theorists and experimentalists in the team CSTQ has put together, which will select the fellowships from a deeply informed position on the global trends in fundamental science both in theory and experiment, using the highest meritocratic standards. The center’s experience in making grants to universities and institutes across the globe will allow it to fairly consider and adapt to the different global academic systems.
