Born in Naples in 1949, Luciano Picarelli is Full Professor in Geotechnics at the Seconda Università di Napoli, where presently he chairs the Council of Professors in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Also, Luciano Picarelli is a component of the Council of Professors in the international Doctorate in Geotechnical Engineering at the Università di Roma La Sapienza and of the Academic Council of the Advanced School and Study Center of the Umbria Region for Maintenance and Conservation of Historic Centres in Unstable Lands.

He is member of the International Technical Committee Landslides (JTC1) promoted by the sister societies ISSMGE (International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering), ISRM (International Society of Rock Mechanics and IAEG (International Society of Engineering Geology and the Environment), of the Advisory Board of the Rivista Italiana di Geotecnica and of the Editorial Board of the journal Landslides published by Springer. Finally, he has been member of several scientific national and international committees. 
The main scientific acitivity of Luciano Picarelli is in slope stability.

He is advisor of national technical organisms and reporter or editor in several national and international conferences and meetings.

He is Author of about 150 papers and of a chapter of an international handbook, and acts as referee for national and international journals and for international scientific organizations.

He is a co-founder of OPTOSENSING.