Carlo Rovelli

Carlo Rovelli (born 3 May 1956 in Verona, Italy) is an Italian theoretical physicist renowned for his pioneering work in loop quantum gravity, a non-perturbative approach to quantizing general relativity that he co-developed in the late 1980s. A professeur de classe exceptionnelle at Aix-Marseille University since 2006, where he founded and directs the quantum gravity research group at the Centre de Physique Théorique, Rovelli has also made significant contributions to relational interpretations of quantum mechanics and the philosophy of physics.

Beyond academia, Rovelli is a prolific science communicator, authoring several bestselling popular books that elucidate complex concepts in modern physics for general audiences, such as Seven Brief Lessons on Physics (2014), which has sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide and been translated into 43 languages. His other notable works include The Order of Time (2017) and Quantum Gravity (2004), the latter a technical monograph on his field. Rovelli's efforts in bridging theoretical research with public understanding have earned him accolades, including the 2024 Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science.

Carlo Rovelli was born on May 3, 1956, in Verona, Italy, to a family that had recently relocated there from elsewhere in the country. His father, an engineer, founded and operated a small construction company, emblematic of Italy's post-World War II economic resurgence, while his mother focused primarily on family matters as the parent of an only son. The family valued knowledge highly, surrounding Rovelli with books during his upbringing in this provincial, conservative northern Italian city known for its traditional social norms.

Rovelli attended the Liceo Classico Scipione Maffei, one of Italy's oldest high schools, emphasizing classical studies in literature, philosophy, and humanities rather than sciences. This environment initially drew him toward humanistic pursuits, fostering a foundational curiosity about ideas and reality amid the cultural ferment of 1960s Italy, including the influx of countercultural ideologies challenging established authorities. By his mid-teens, he experienced personal conflict with local conservatism, school expectations, and family dynamics, prompting an early rebellion—he left home at age 16, influenced by the era's emphasis on questioning conventions and exploring alternative perspectives.

These formative experiences cultivated Rovelli's nascent empirical skepticism and interest in fundamental questions about the world, sparked through independent reading and exposure to broader intellectual currents beyond Verona's insularity, laying groundwork for his later pivot toward scientific inquiry.

Rovelli began his university studies at the University of Bologna in 1975, earning a laurea in physics—a degree equivalent to a combined bachelor's and master's—in 1981. During this period, amid Italy's turbulent 1970s student movements, he immersed himself in radical leftist activism rather than academic pursuits, later describing how he "didn’t spend much time studying" due to efforts aimed at overthrowing the government. His involvement included associations with New Left groups in Bologna exhibiting anarchist leanings, including participation in the fragmented 1977 Movement, which sought to dismantle institutions like family, police, and currency but ultimately failed as a "totally failed revolution."

Rovelli aligned with countercultural elements such as the Metropolitani Indiani—a hippie collective dressing as Native Americans for protest spectacles—and contributed to subversive outlets like the pirate radio station Radio Alice, while co-authoring Fatti Nostri , a clandestine publication documenting the 1977 unrest that prompted police raids on his family's home.