Associate, Environment and Natural Resources Program/Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program
Nicola De Blasio is an Associate with the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program and the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program. His research focuses on energy technology innovation and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
With more than 25 years of global experience in the energy sector, De Blasio is an expert in navigating the challenges of strategic development and technology innovation toward sustainable commercial success, at scale.
De Blasio serves as an independent board member and adviser to various companies, startups, and non-profit organizations. He has worked across business, academia, government, and civil society to develop and implement new business opportunities and establish connections that support research, educational, and convening opportunities.
De Blasio spent 17 years at Eni, one of the world’s leading energy companies, most recently as Vice President and Head of R&D International Development, where he was also responsible for the startup group. He engineered the strategic alliances between Eni and MIT, Stanford, Tsinghua, and other leading universities. He was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), as well as a member of the MITEI Advisory Board, its Executive Committee (2005-2015) and the Eni Award Committee. He began his career with Snamprogetti (Eni’s Group) as a process engineer before becoming an economic feasibility study specialist.
Prior to joining Harvard, De Blasio was Senior Research Scholar in the faculty of SIPA at Columbia University and Program Director Technology and Innovation at the Center on Global Energy Policy, where he was also Director of Strategic Partnerships.
De Blasio holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Politecnico of Milan University with a thesis in industrial catalysis. He specialized at St. Andrews University, Scotland and then at Eni Corporate University, where he focused on energy economics. He is co-author of the book Value of Innovation, and has extensively published and lectured on energy, innovation, project evaluation, and catalysis.
