The University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia mourns the loss of Professor Michele Di Francesco, internationally renowned philosopher and former Rector of the School, whose leadership marked a fundamental moment in the growth and consolidation of our academic community.

Professor Michele Di Francesco played a fundamental role in Italy in spreading a rigorous approach to philosophical problems relating to the mind, personal identity, and consciousness. He did so through his constant scientific activities, his popularizing contributions, and by fostering several scientific societies and research groups. He promoted analytical philosophy in continuous dialogue with other traditions and disciplines (linguistics, neuroscience, psychology) and carried out his numerous academic duties, and in particular his mandate as Rector of the School, in a spirit of constructive collaboration between colleagues, administrative staff, and institutions. He has been a model for the creation of a close-knit community, not only scientifically but also humanly.

Professor Michele Di Francesco showed us how it is possible to combine passion for research, attention to students training, and institutional commitment with an attitude of great respect, profound humanity, lightheartedness, and pleasant irony.

His absence will be a great loss for all of us, compensated only by the affection with which we will remember him.