Francesca Demichelis was a prominent figure in Italian physics, pioneering in various aspects of teaching and research within the academic world.
After graduating in Physics from the University of Turin in 1943, she distinguished herself as an assistant at the Polytechnic University of Turin from 1944, contributing to both research and teaching in the Department of Physics.
A turning point in her career came in 1966, when she was promoted to extraordinary professor, and in 1969 she became a full professor of Physics in the Faculty of Engineering.

Her early research focused on radioactivity, nuclear physics, and physical instrumentation, later shifting to solid-state physics, with particular attention to the photovoltaic effect and solar energy, making her one of the pioneers in this field.
In the 1980s, Demichelis established and led a research group focused on solar cells, exploring their optical behavior and applications in optoelectronics and mechanics. This work was recognized with the Gold Medal for Career Achievement from the Italian Minister of Public Education.

Demichelis devoted her life to research, reflecting a wider pattern among women academics of her generation, for whom combining a scientific career with family life was often structurally difficult. For over fifty years, she remained the only woman to hold a full professorship in Physics at the Polytechnic. She broke through the glass ceiling, but the fact that no other woman reached the same position in this period shows how persistent the glass ceiling remained.

Throughout her life, she believed in the importance of financially supporting young people eager to pursue research. For this reason, she left a significant portion of her estate to establish a foundation dedicated to supporting young physics graduates, offering paid positions at the Polytechnic.
Through this initiative, she enabled new generations of physicists to begin their research careers, leaving an enduring mark on the academic community of the Polytechnic.