A Personal Note to the ICTP Community

[Infopoint]

Dear Colleagues, Students, and Friends,

As many of you may already know, 31 March 2026 will mark the conclusion 
of my role as a staff member at ICTP, after fourteen remarkable years at 
the Centre. Before embarking on a new professional chapter, I wanted to 
take a moment to share a few personal reflections with the entire ICTP 
community.

ICTP has represented far more to me than a professional appointment — it 
has been a defining life experience. During these years, I have had the 
privilege of visiting countries across continents, engaging with diverse 
cultures, and working alongside extraordinary individuals at every level 
— from students taking their first scientific steps to internationally 
recognized leaders in science and public life. Few institutions in the 
world offer such a unique human and intellectual landscape.

Long before joining ICTP, I was a passionate traveler, particularly 
drawn to exploring remote and lesser-known corners of the world and 
discovering the richness of different cultures and communities. In many 
ways, ICTP allowed me to take that passion to an entirely new dimension. 
Through its programmes and partnerships I had the opportunity to meet 
hundreds of students and colleagues from every corner of the globe — 
from remote villages and emerging scientific communities to 
international institutions and renowned scientific circles.

Among the most meaningful aspects of these years has been the 
opportunity to contribute to ICTP’s training mission in several forms. 
Through many activities within the ICTP scientific calendar, as well as 
through the Master in HPC, I had the opportunity to interact closely 
with students from all parts of the world, including many arriving from 
very modest and remote backgrounds, and later see them move on to highly 
competitive positions in leading technology companies, world-class 
research institutes, and international organisations. Witnessing those 
trajectories has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.

What has made these fourteen years truly special, however, are the 
people. Across faculty, students, administrative and technical staff, 
and management, I have had the privilege of building relationships that 
I will always carry with me with great respect and gratitude. From these 
interactions I have learned immensely, both professionally and 
personally, and I sincerely hope that I have been able to give something 
meaningful in return.

The decision to move on has not been simple and has required several 
sleepless nights. However, the opportunity ahead represents an important 
step in my professional journey and opens new challenges that I feel 
compelled to pursue. While my role at ICTP is coming to an end in its 
current form, I very much hope to remain connected to the Centre and its 
community in new ways going forward. I leave with deep gratitude for 
everything this institution has given me — experiences, friendships, 
inspiration, and a perspective on the world that has shaped me profoundly.

This is therefore a goodbye for now rather than a farewell. I will 
remain in Trieste and hope to stay connected to the ICTP community as 
much as possible in the years ahead.

With my warmest regards and sincere gratitude to all of you,

Ivan

-- 

Ivan Girotto, Ph.D. - igirotto at ictp.it
High-Performance Computing Applications & MHPC (www.mhpc.it)
Information & Communication Technology Section
The Abdus Salam - www.ictp.it
International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Strada Costiera, 11 - 34151 Trieste - IT
Tel +39.040.2240.4484
Fax +39.040.2240.249