Nadia Pinardi holds a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University, and she is full professor of Oceanography at Bologna University,Italy. Her interests range from ocean numerical modelling and predictions to data assimilation, numerical modelling of the marine physical-biologicalinteractions and pollutants at sea. She has written more than hundred and sixty papers in peer reviewed journals on a wide range of subjects. The last topic of her research is the understanding of uncertainties in ensemble forecasting, oil spill numerical modelling coupled to operational oceanographic forecasts and the analysis of climate indices in the Mediterranean Sea, such the Mediterranean Sea Overturning Circulation index.Her major achievement is the conceptual design and practical implementation of ocean forecasting systems across the worldocean: she started with the contribution to the very first real time ocean forecast in the California Current systemto the complete development of monitoring, modelling and data assimilation components for the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Sea. Furthermore, she used the products of the forecasting system tounderstand new ocean dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea (Pinardi et al., 2014, Pinardi et al., 2019) and to develop several new societal benefit applications. She has been the director of the National Group of Operational Oceanography of the National Instituteof Geophysicsand Volcanology from 2004 to 2012. She has been Member of the European Space Agency Space Advisory Group, of the European Environment Agency Scientific Advisory Committee and of the European Research Council for Earth Sciences.From 2012 to2019 she was copresident of the Joint Committee for oceanography and Marine Meteorology(JCOMM)of Unesco-IOC and WMOand she is,since2019,co-chair of the Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (Infrastructure Commission) of WMO and Member of the Joint Collaborative Board of Unesco-IOC and WMO.