FABIOLA GIANOTTI

We had to understand things like why the top quark was so heavy and the electron is so light. The Higgs is a big, important step.

There is nothing more exciting than having a life devoted to fundamental knowledge and to contributing to advance the borders of knowledge.

I like manual things, doing things with my hands, the feeling of touching.

The search for knowledge is a long and difficult task.

CERN is a concrete example of worldwide, international co-operation - and a concrete example of peace. The place which makes, in my opinion, better scientists, but also better people.

Working with so many people from all over the world is extremely enriching and stimulating.

Among the questions we have in mind: dark matter, antimatter, and matter symmetry.

Diversity is really a richness for mankind.

Like in nature, I like things which are based on a few simple principles, even though their manifestation can be very rich.

Art is based on very clear, mathematical principles like proportion and harmony. At the same time, physicists need to be inventive, to have ideas, to have some fantasy.

Of course, mankind has made giant steps forward. However, what we know is really very, very little compared to what we still have to know.

We know there must be new physics. For example, we cannot explain what dark matter is.

Musical harmony is based on physical principles, while in cooking, ingredients must be weighed out with precision. At the same time, you have to be able to invent because if one follows the same recipe all the time, you never create anything new.

From a scientific point of view, our mission is to seek answers to the fundamental questions about the universe. Many are open - we don't know about dark matter, which accounts for a quarter of the universe's matter, nor do we know why there's antimatter.

Our research is so complex that the resources of a single region of the world are no longer enough - both intellectually and economically, it must be a global effort.

It's always good news when you're closer to the truth.

We will have to be very vigilant that young female scientists have the same opportunities as their male colleagues.

For me, my home is a peaceful place where I can rest, and it gives me back energy.

My efforts are focused on ensuring that CERN maintains a leading role in the fields of science, technology and education, and that it continues to be a place that unites scientists from around the world.

Our laboratory is a place that celebrates diversity and is totally open to all differences, not just sex but also age, ethnicity, religion and other traditions.

With the discovery of the Higgs boson, one of the questions has been ticked off the list, but there are many others. We hope that we can find answers or hints for answers to at least some of them. But of course, this is in the hands of nature.

The top quark was discovered in 1995, and since then, the Higgs has become our obsession because the standard model was incomplete without it.

CERN is a centre of scientific excellence and a source of pride and inspiration for physicists from all over the world, a cradle for technology and innovation, and a shining concrete example of scientific cooperation and peace.

I will fully engage myself to maintain CERN's excellence in all its attributes, with the help of everybody, including CERN Council, staff and users from all over the world.

In the big experiments, Atlas and CMS, we have something like 3,000 scientists each, and over 60 nationalities.