Laura Orian graduated cum laude and got her PhD in Chemical Sciences at the University of Padova in the Theoretical Chemistry group. She is currently Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry in Padova. Her research interest aims at elucidating central physical phenomena in chemistry rooted in the properties of atoms, molecules, and materials. A deep rationalization and interpretation of experimental evidence is pursued through improvement of the fundamental description of chemical systems (chemical theory), and the applications of new and existing techniques to chemical, physical and biological problems (chemical computation), with particular attention to health and sustainability. The ultimate goal of her research is to predict the chemical properties of a chemical system in advance of the experiment, for a rational design of functional molecules and materials assisted by computer.