Honorary PhD in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology to Laura Cozzi
Laura Cozzi, currently the Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks at the International Energy Agency (IEA), has been awarded an Honorary PhD in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology by the Politecnico di Milano in recognition of her global scientific, strategic and humanitarian contributions to sustainable energy.
After institutional greetings from Rector Donatella Sciuto and a Laudatio by Emanuela Colombo, Professor in the Department of Energy, Laura Cozzi gave a Lectio Magistralis, focusing on the challenges and prospects of the energy transition.
Laura Cozzi was appointed Director of Sustainability, Technology, and Outlooks at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2023.
She directs and coordinates the IEA’s work on energy sustainability with regard to energy technology policy and climate change. She is also Chief Energy Modeller at the IEA and as such, is co-head of the World Energy Outlook, the IEA’s flagship publication.
Cozzi joined the IEA in 1999 as a junior analyst on the World Energy Outlook team, having also co-directed numerous editions and coordinated several special reports. Before joining the IEA, Cozzi worked for the Italian energy company ENI SpA. She holds a Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to Master of Science) in Environmental Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano and a Master’s degree in Energy and Environmental Economics from Eni Corporate University.
In 2025, Cozzi was awarded a knighthood in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. She was also elected a member of the National Academy of Technologies of France and awarded an honorary doctorate by the Swedish KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2024.
Throughout her career, Laura Cozzi has shown a constant commitment to analysing, modelling and disseminating evidence-based energy scenarios, promoting approaches that integrate technology, the environment and social equity. Starting from her role as Chief Modeller for the World Energy Outlook – the IEA’s most influential publication – she has made decisive contributions to the Agency’s scientific credibility and its central position in global debates on energy and the climate. Laura Cozzi also conceived and promoted the Africa Energy Outlook programme, under which access to energy and clean cooking have become priorities for international cooperation. Her work led the United Nations to officially recognize the IEA as guardian of the Clean and Accessible Energy for All Sustainable Development Goal.
From the motives for the conferral, read by Professor Daniele Rocchi, Director of the PhD School