Fabiola Gianotti

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

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.

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.

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

Diversity is really a richness for mankind.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.