VOLTA Marialuisa

Marialuisa Volta is a full professor of Control Systems and oversees the Integrated Assessment Modeling & Control Lab and the Transition Intelligence Lab at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Brescia (IT).

Her research activity is focused on complex systems modeling, control and planning and deals with topics in the area of the environmental systems. The methodological and applied research includes the following issues:
- Non-linear systems modelling and simulation: 3D meteo and chemical transport models, data assimilation.
- System identification: Forecast models for environmental variables, multivariate geostatistics algorithms, source-receptor and emission-cost models.
- Integrated Assessment Modelling: decision models, environmental and energy system planning, ecosystems and health exposure assessment.

In these fields she has published more than 130 papers, book chapters, books.

M. Volta obtained funding for several research projects:
Relevant EU projects
- PI: EU4HEALTH ELISAH project (2024-2026)
- Project leader: Surrogate models identification and validation based on CTM results, EC JRC tender n.C686554.X0 (2018-2019)
- Third part leader: CAMS use case on air quality planning in urban areas using the ATMOSYS-CAMS application ECMWF/COPERNICUS/2017/CAMS_95f_VITO (2017-2018)
- Project coordinator: FP7 APPRAISAL (Air Pollution Policies foR Assessment of Integrated Strategies At regional Local scales), EU FP7 308395 (2012-2015)
- Scientific coordinator: OPERA (Operational Pollution Emission Reduction Assessment), EU LIFE09ENV/IT/092 - Best Environmental Life projects Award 2015 (EC DG-ENV), (2010-2013)
- Project coordinator: RIAT (Regional Integrated Assessment Tool), EC JRC 384364 (2009-2010)
- Associate partner: EU NoE ACCENT - Mesoscale secondary pollution multi-objective control, EC DG-RTD FP6 (2006-2009)

Relevant national projects
- Project coordinator: AgriAir, Fondazione Cariplo (IT) (2021-2023)
- Scientific advisor: FANGHI. Innovation Hub. POR-FESR Regione Lombardia (IT) (2019-2022)
- PI and UNIBS Unit leader: BIOMASS Hub. Innovation Hub. POR-FESR Regione Lombardia (IT) (2019-2022)
- Project coordinator: ATHLETIC (Air quaIiTy and Life styles: HeaLTh Cobenefits), University of Brescia (IT) (2016-2019)
- AIR-ENERGY Community manager, Open Innovation Regione Lombardia (IT) (2015-present)
- Project Unit and WP leader: VALUTA (Assessing the impact and the economic value of the Lombardia Region Air Quality Plan), ARPA Lombardia (IT) (2014-2015)
- Unit leader: A Brescia si parla di scienza e tecnologia (Science dissemination project), Italian Ministry of Education and Research (IT) (2013-2014)
- Project leader: NINFA, Design of a modelling system to assess the emission reduction costs in Emilia Romagna, ARPA Emilia Romagna (IT) (2010-2011)
- Team Co-Leader and WP Leader: QUITSAT, Italian Space Agency (I/035/06/0) (2006-2010)

She is member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Board (2021-2025), EC DG-RDT project Evaluator and Rapporteur (EX2012D125182), member of EU FAIRMODE (Forum for Air Quality Modeling), contributing to CT5 - AQ management practices (http://fairmode.jrc.ec.europa.eu) (2012-present), member of the scientific board of B+ Labnet (Laboratory for environmental health and sustainability), University of Brescia (2016-present)). She serves as chair (2020-2026) of the Technical Committee TC8.3 “Modelling and Control of Environmental Systems”, IFAC - International Federation of Automatic Control; Research Advisor of Clean Air Group at the Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster, IT (2019-present); EU-TAIEX expert for topics: Air, Climate change, Macro-regional strategies, Regional development, Sustainable urban development (2018-present).

M. Volta was a member of the European Court of Auditors Expert panel on Air Quality Directive review
(2017); member of the Advisory board of FP7 SEFIRA (Socio-economic implications for individual responses to Air Pollution Policies in EU +27) project, EU FP7 603941 (2013-2016); National delegate at UNECE - Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, Task Force on Integrated Assessment Modelling (2006-2012).

M. Volta is the coordinator of the PhD programme in Energy Transition and Sustainable Production Systems at the University of Brescia(2022-present).
He was a member of the Board of the Doctorate in Information Engineering (2005-2013) and Technology for Health (from 2011 to 2022) at the University of Brescia.

M. Volta was a member of the ASN commission in the scientific disciplinary sector ING-INF/04 AUTOMATICA for the biennium 2021-2023.