Born in Japan, Sakura Pascarelli is an Italian physicist renowned for her expertise in X-ray absorption spectroscopy and the study of matter under extreme conditions. She earned her Laurea in Physics from La Sapienza University in Rome and a Ph.D. in Physics from Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble. In 1993, she joined the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, where she led the X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamlines ID24 and BM23. She also served as Head of the Electronic Structure and Magnetism Group and later the Matter at Extremes Group. In September 2019, Dr. Pascarelli was appointed Scientific Director at the European XFEL in Schenefeld, Germany, overseeing the development of four hard X-ray instruments. Her research focuses on investigating matter under extreme pressure, temperature, and magnetic fields, utilizing X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic dichroism techniques. Beyond her scientific endeavors, she is an accomplished swimmer, often using the sport to balance the demands of her research career.