Marco Velli is Professor of Space Physics at the EPSS, UCLA. A student of the Univ. of Pisa and Scuola Normale Superiore, I spent research periods at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, the Observatoire de Paris, France, UniCal, Italy, and the Smithsonian CfA, Mass., as well as JPL CalTec, where I remain a Senior Scientist. My research focuses on space plasma physics and solar magnetic activity, with emphasis on coronal heating, mhd turbulence and magnetic reconnection.