news version - On February 15th, the Argentinian physicist Juan Martín Maldacena, Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study of Princeton, was awarded the Galileo Galilei Medal, an award given by the INFN in collaboration with its Galileo Galilei Institute (GGI) National Centre for Theoretical Physics of Florence to researchers who have made an exceptional contribution to the progress of research in theoretical physics. Maldacena received the award "for his pioneering ideas in theoretical physics, and in particular for the discovery of duality between gravity and quantum field theory, with far-reaching implications”. Maldacena has been one of the most influential figures of theoretical physics in recent decades. His numerous and fundamental insights have opened new perspectives in the field of string theory, field theory and quantum gravity. The Galileo Galilei Medal, established in 2018, is awarded every two years by a special international committee nominated by the INFN to one or at most three scientists who, in the 25 years preceding the award date, have achieved significant results in the theoretical physics field with regard to the fundamental interactions between particles, including gravity and nuclear phenomena