Born and raised in Milano, Italy, post-graduate degree in Biology, Ottavia Bassetti, during the initial part of her career in Italy, and since 1989, in the US, specialized in communications, at first as a science journalist and editor, then as a multimedia and web site producer, and as a consultant in corporate communications for start ups in the pioneering phase of the internet, World Wide Web and artificial intelligence (Thinking Machines, WAIS, Alexa, Internet Archive).

Since 2000 she has worked for non profits between Italy and the US,between 2000 and 2009 developing the US organization of Friends of FAI, the US sister foundation of FAI, the National Trust for Italy, from 1998 and 2008 developing special projects for Internet Archive and since 2016 she serves on the board and directs special projects for the Giovanni Bassetti Foundation, a non profit focusing on promoting responsible innovation.

She has been an Italian professional journalist since 1988 and during the years has written for major Italian newspapers and magazines. She is editor of six books with Nobel laureates Ilya Prigogyne, Paul John Flory, Renato Dulbecco, Emilio Segre and scientists Bruno Rossi and Riccardo Giacconi. In 1986 she was awarded the Vannevar Bush Fellowship in Science Journalism at MIT (now Knights Science Journalism Fellowship).

Her academic and teaching experience include the direction of the first European postgraduate course in Science and Technology communication (sponsored by the European Economic Community (1987-88). As Visiting Professor for Theseus Institute's MBA program she has taught courses in Information Systems Design, Multimedia and Groupware.

She loves sports and outdoor activities and has sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a 34 foot boat and has climbed and skied many mountains in the Italian Alps and the Rockies.

(2018)