In memory of Nicolò D'Amico (1953 – 2020)

The completely unexpected and sudden death of Prof. Nicolò D’Amico (Palermo 1953 – Soleminis 2020), President of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), has been an irreparable loss for the Italian astrophysics community and beyond, and left a huge void in all the many people who, like me, had the privilege to work with him.

During the years of his Presidency, Prof. D’Amico fully exploited his natural aptitude to synthesise all the received suggestions into a precise vision for the development of astrophysics: to maximise the quality of the research, and to make that a flywheel of growth, while paying special attention to education, outreach activities and science communication. He was the voting member for Italy in the SKA Board of Directors, and thanks to his remarkable managerial capabilities, coupled with an always crystal-clear and sound approach to the world of the institutions, he was the main actor in securing the long-term Italian funding for the project and in promoting SKA.

Graduating in Physics in 1977, only four years later Prof. D’Amico, known as “Nichi”, was already “permanent” at the University of Palermo. After beginning with gamma-ray astronomy, a visit to CSIRO in Australia re-oriented his studies towards radio pulsars, the apex of which was reached with his key role in the Parkes Multibeam surveys (1998- 2004), which doubled the number of catalogued pulsars and led to the discovery of the still unique double pulsar PSR J0737−3039. That made him one of the recipients of the prestigious “Descartes Prize” for outstanding European scientific collaborations in 2005, among other prizes.

Prof. D’Amico meanwhile obtained a full professorship at the University of Cagliari and became director of the local Astronomical Observatory and, later, director of the project for the construction of the Sardinia Radio Telescope. In autumn 2015, he was nominated President of INAF, and he was confirmed for a second term in December 2019, the first president to be reconfirmed in the history of this prestigious Italian institution.

By Andrea Possenti (INAF)

Above: Prof. Nichi D’amico during the second SKA IGO Negotiations meeting in January 2016 at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.

Credit: INAF