Simonetta is a research professor at UVA. Professor Liuti´s research involves theoretical studies of the quark and gluon internal dynamics of the proton. The fundamental interactions of quarks and gluons are governed by the beautifully concise Lagrangian of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), however, to be able to understand the mechanisms generating the proton mass, spin and mechanical properties in terms of quarks and gluons is one of the biggest challenges in physics today.