What do running marathons, fighting for the advancement of women, and working to improve public health have in common? They all require energy, enthusiasm, and a whole lot of endurance. And Dr. Francesca Dominici has a seemingly endless supply of all three. 

In 1995, she moved to the US from Italy with a language barrier and a few dollars in her pocket. Since then, she has earned her PhD in Statistics, participated in over 12 marathons and a triathalon, and led several initiatives to promote the advancement of women in science. Her work spans fields from public health to data science to biology, with the goal of identifying often invisible threats, like noise and air pollution. Her award-winning contributions go beyond the science itself; she’s known for cultivating powerful collaborations between different research groups, leading diversity programs, and supporting women who face unique challenges in academia. She’s never drawn a line between her science from her sense of service, recognizing both the power of research to make the world a better place and the importance of making the world of research better along the way. 

In a way, her scientific endeavors mirror her other passions. She finds that the training and struggles of long and tedious research projects are not unlike the training and struggles of running 26.2 miles through unpredictable weather and terrain. Both are about sustaining long, hard, and often dull stretches between successes. At the same time, her ambitions to understand the complex systems — like pollution, noise, and climate — that affect public health is not unlike understanding the complex systems — like prejudice, stereotypes, and risk-taking — that affect women’s power. 

The common thread is Francesca’s strong will, tenacity, and ability to gracefully identify the many factors underlying any given challenge, no matter how long or arduous the race may be.