Impronte Politecniche continues with a new episode of the Politecnico di Milano video-portrait series, in which Emeritus and Honorary Professors recount their academic journeys in dialogue with one of their former students. The protagonist of this new video portrait is Ennio Macchi, Emeritus Professor of the Department of Energy, interviewed by Giovanni Lozza, former Director and Full Professor of the same Department.

During the conversation, Macchi retraces his academic and professional career, from his years at the Institute of Machinery to the establishment of today’s Department of Energy, of which he served as the first Director. His story weaves together research, strategic vision, and the ability to build a scientific community capable of bringing diverse expertise into dialogue around the major challenges of energy.

“I believe that energy is a very broad discipline and that the skills needed to develop important projects in this field must be highly diverse,” Macchi recalls, emphasizing the value of interdisciplinarity that guided the creation of the Department in 2008.

The interview also offers a look at the evolution of energy research at Politecnico di Milano, from early studies on fluid machinery to energy conversion systems and advanced technologies characterizing the energy transition—activities that have helped make the Department a national and international point of reference.

“One of the most important contributions a university professor can give is to build a school, to open up one’s knowledge, and to create a generation of disciples,” Macchi observes. This legacy, as Lozza notes during the interview, is reflected in the growth of one of the University’s most important research groups (GECOS, Group of Energy Conversion Systems).