Why did you choose a scientific career?
I have been attracted by the possibility of working in a research laboratory as a chemist, possibly in food or cosmetic areas

Did you always know that you wanted to be a scientist or did you become a scientist ‘by accident'?
I decided that I would like to became a chemist when I was eighteen at the end of the High School

What factors stimulated your career (colleagues, mentor, own motivation, family)?
My own motivation

How did you obtain your current job position (factors that have been a barrier/stimulated your scientific career)?
I obtained my current position as well as the previous ones by public competition.
I started to work soon after achieving my degree (“Laurea” in Chemistry that means an university course lasting five years) in 1969. Actually at that time, but still nowadays, women were not well accepted as chemists in industries and it was also very difficult to obtain a public permanent position as researcher at the university and in other government institutions. Therefore I accepted a job as civilian chemist in the ranks of the Ministry of Defence, but the work was very tedious. Therefore I decided to start again from the very beginning and I ran for a competition at the ISS as Researcher, and finally (1980) I got the position I ever longed for. Without any doubt to be a woman was a big obstacle to my career since employers are almost always afraid that women can be too much involved with generating and growing their children and with the family management. I must admit that I met many women, whose behaviour may in part support such prejudices.

What ambitions do you have regarding your career?
As for my position, I am already at the top of my career. In terms of satisfaction at work, at present my ambition is both to be in the scientific panel (contaminants) of EFSA, and to get my proposals for research projects financed at the national and international level, which is necessary to keep on carrying out research related to this topics.

Have you ever had the feeling that you had to choose between personal life and work?
I don’t think I ever had to choose between personal life and work, because especially when my daughter was a child, I succeeded in managing to spend the time with her I thought to be necessary for her overall needs. Furthermore, my husband is a chemist-researcher as well, therefore he was extremely supportive. But I must admit that I feel I was lucky for these reasons, and that, however, my daughter sometimes complained with me because I was too busy! Then, when she grew up, I could devote much more of my time (very frequently also my free time!) to work. In addition, one of the reasons why I had only one child was that a bigger family would mean less time for work.

Do you have any specific advice to other women that pursue a scientific career?
Exchange views, information and gain experience in as many scientific environments as possible, especially by travelling abroad. In addition, since a scientific career is not a common job and requires a lot of efforts and dedication, only very motivated women should undertake this “exciting adventure”, but without renouncing to live a normal life.

Do you have any suggestions or comments?
Sometimes women encounter much more difficulties in pursuing a scientific work than men, but if they try hard, they can succeed. However, due to the hardness and peculiarity of such work, family, which relies basically on women, can be an obstacle, since kids and husband can require much time and attention.