The prestigious prize has been awarded to the scholar, professor at the Scuola Normale, for the major impact of her research to the field of political and social sciences. 

Florence, 17 November 2021. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has awarded professor Donatella Della Porta of the Scuola Normale Superiore the prestigious “Humboldt Research Award”, in recognition of teaching and research excellence in the political and social sciences.

The official conferring ceremony will be held in Bamberg (Germany), during the annual Symposium of the von Humboldt, between the 24-27 March of 2022. Every year, the Foundation Alexander von Humboldt awards up to 100 prizes (of €60.000 each), with the aim of supporting and strengthening academic partnerships with research institutes in Germany. The recipients of the awards are selected on the basis of their excellent research and teaching  achievements. They are assigned to non-German scholars whose studies and innovations have contributed and will continue to contribute to the advancement of their discipline.

Donatella Della Porta is Full Professor of Political Sciences at the Scuola Normale Superiore. She is director of the PhD programme in Political Science and Sociology, as well as of the Centre of Social Movements Studies (COSMOS). She was the first dean of the Social and Political Sciences Faculty. Her research interests include social movements, political violence, terrorism, corruption and protests. She was director of the European Research Council (ERC) research project “Mobilizing for Democracy”. In 2011 she received the Mattei Dogan Prize for her outstanding academic contribution to the advancement of the field of political sociology. Professor Della Porta has been awarded five honorary doctorates, from the University of Lausanne, the University of Bucharest, the University of Goteborg, the University of Jyvaskyla and the University of the Peloponneso. She is author or co-author of more than 90 books, 150 journal articles and 150 chapters in edited books.