Nadia PINARDI holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University, and she is full professor of Oceanography at Bologna University. Her interests range from ocean numerical modelling and predictions to data assimilation, numerical modelling of the marine physical-biological interactions and pollutants at sea.

Her major achievement is the conceptual design and practical implementation of ocean forecasting systems across the world ocean: she started with the contribution to the very first real time ocean forecast in the California Current system to the complete development of monitoring, modelling and data assimilation components for the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Sea.

From 2012 to 2019 she was co-president of the Joint Committee for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) of UNESCO-IOC and WMO and she is, since 2019, elected vice-president of the Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (Infrastructure Commission) of WMO. She is chair of the UN Decade for Ocean Science Program “CoastPredict”. Nadia Pinardi was awarded in 2007 the European Geophysical Union (EGU) Fridtjof Nansen Medal for Oceanography, in June 2008 the Roger Revelle Unesco Medal, in 2015 she received the Italian Republic Honors “Commendatore Ordine al merito della Repubblica italiana” and in 2017 the Laurea Honoris Causa for Operational Oceanography at the University of Liege, Belgium.