Mario Biagioli, a distinguished professor of law and communication at UCLA and leading scholar of law and technology, died on May 17 after a long illness.

Biagioli joined the UCLA Law faculty in 2019 and was among the world’s foremost authorities in the intersection of law, science, and technology. As Michael Waterstone, dean of UCLA Law, wrote in an announcement to the community, “Generations of students and scholars looked to him for his reasoned, impassioned, and creative takes on rapid changes in intellectual property, business, media, and the greater society. His reputation was immense, and his numerous publications include eight books that he wrote or edited, exploring how the law interacts with developments in science and technology.”

Biagioli enjoyed a long and distinguished career in academia and service. His many honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship that he earned for his innovative work, which also included patentable subject matter, the history of the idea/expression divide, and the role of eyewitnessing in science.

“Mario was a true intellectual – intensely curious about ideas, a brilliant man with a broad ranging and creative intellect,” says Jennifer Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was UCLA Law’s dean when Biagioli joined the faculty. “Way back when I was studying for my Ph.D., his pathbreaking book Galileo, Courtier shaped my understanding of how science and society shape each other before I’d ever had the chance to meet him. It was a true pleasure to count him as a colleague and a friend, and I join scholars from so many disciplines and perspectives in mourning his loss.”

“Mario was a wonderful colleague and a dear friend,” says Mark McKenna, a UCLA Law professor who serves as the vice dean of faculty and intellectual life and a faculty co-director of the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy. “He was an intellectual's intellectual: He knew something about just about everything, and he loved talking about ideas. He would put aside his entire evening to talk to you about anything you were working on – as long as you brought a bottle of Prosecco. I had the privilege of teaching with him, and I got to see him bring that very same love of learning to the classroom. We were all richer for having known Mario, and are all poorer for his loss.”

Among his many distinguished appointments, Biagioli held positions at UC Davis – where he was the founding director of the Center for Science and Innovation Studies – Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, Harvard University, the University of Chicago, the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and the European University at St. Petersburg.

“I first met Mario soon after we both arrived at UCLA Law. Within a few weeks, we were planning a conference together,” says William Boyd, a UCLA Law professor who holds the Michael J. Klein Chair in Law and is a faculty co-director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. “He was one of the most interesting and creative people I have ever met — a true intellectual in the very best sense. But it was his generosity of spirit that really set him apart. He was such a joy to be around. I will miss him dearly.”

Biagioli received his Diploma di Maturita` Classica from the Liceo Ginnasio Cicognini in Prato, Italy; his M.F.A. from the Visual Studies Workshop and the Rochester Institute of Technology; and his M.A. and Ph.D. in History of Science from UC Berkeley.

His survivors include his wife, Kriss Ravetto-Biagioli, and two sons, Luka and Gabriel, as well as countless colleagues on college campuses and in countries far and wide.

“Mario was a giant – but a truly gentle one,” Waterstone said. “I got to see what so many in our community and around the world knew well: Mario was a truly kind and generous man of good humor, curiosity, foresight, and boundless intellect. He epitomized the UCLA Law spirit of collegiality, service, and excellence.”

Plans for a celebration of Biagioli’s life are forthcoming. Donations can be made in his memory to support law students from underprivileged backgrounds, including through UCLA Law’s Achievement Fellowship Program.