My research interests are in the fields of astroparticle physics, gravitational waves, and high-energy astrophysics. In particular, I am interested in the multimessenger study of the most extreme phenomena in the Universe, exploiting both high-energy eletromagnetic radiation (X and gamma rays) and gravitational waves.
In 2003 I joined the collaboration responsible for the Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the NASA Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. As a member of this collaboration, I was involved in many works related to the Large Area Telescope, including the construction and development of the instrument, the monitoring of its performance, and the analysis and interpretation of the scientific data. During my postdoc I was visiting research assistant at the University of California in Santa Cruz and at the University of Stanford, working mainly on LAT data analysis. Within the Fermi collaboration, I served as coordinator of the Galactic Sources science group and of the sky simulation group.
From 2013 I was co-investigator in a proposal on multimessenger physics, that was funded by the Italian Ministry for Education and University (Miur FIRB). Within that 3-year project (2013-2016) I joined the Virgo collaboration and organized a research unit on multimessenger physics within the Virgo group in Pisa.
I regularly present my work at international conferences and invited talks. I am also serving as a referee for scientific journals, including Physical Review Letters, The Astrophysical Journal and Astronomy and Astrophysics.
From 2006 I have been teaching at various courses at the Department of Physics at the University of Pisa. Since 2019 I am teaching a new laboratory course focused on multimessenger physics as a part of a new Master Program in Physics of the Universe. I am involved in various activities of public outreach and as a science writer I am contributing to various Italian magazines with stories on different topics, including physics, astronomy, and technology.
Education
- Postgraduate diploma in Science Communication (Master I livello), University of Ferrara, 4 Dec. 2009 (30/30 cum laude).
- Ph.D. in Physics, University of Pisa, 21 Jun. 2007.
- M.S. in Physics (Laurea Specialistica in Scienze Fisiche), University of Pisa, 27 Oct. 2003 (110/110 cum laude)
- B.S. in Physics (Laurea in Fisica), University of Pisa, 13 Jan. 2003 (109/110).
- High School Diploma (Diploma di Maturità Scientifica), Liceo Scientifico “F. Vercelli” of Asti, Jul. 1998. (60/60).
Professional Experience
| Jun. 2019 – now | Associate Professor (Professore Associato, SSD FIS/01) Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
| Jun. 2016 – May 2019 | Senior fixed-term assistant professor (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato “Senior”, L.240/2010, art 24. co. 3 lett. b) Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
| Jun. 2013-May 2016 | Junior fixed-term assistant professor (Ricercatore a Tempo Determinato “Junior”, L. 240/2010, art 24. co. 3 lett. a) Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
| Jan. 2013-Jun. 2013 | Postdoctoral Researcher SLAC National Laboratory, Stanford University |
| Oct. 2012-Nov. 2012 | Visiting Assistant Researcher Hansen Experimental Laboratory, University of Stanford |
| Jun. 2012-Oct. 2012 | Assistant Specialist Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California Santa Cruz. |
| Jul. 2011-Dec 2011 | Assistant Specialist Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California Santa Cruz. |
| Jan. 2011-Dec. 2012 | Postdoctoral Researcher (Assegnista di Ricerca, L. 449/97, art. 51, comma 6) Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
| Oct. 2010-Dec. 2010 | Assistant Specialist Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California Santa Cruz. |
| Jan. 2010-Sep. 2010 | Postdoctoral Fellowship Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
| Dec. 2007-Dec. 2009 | Postdoctoral Researcher (Assegnista di Ricerca, L. 449/97, art. 51, comma 6) Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
| Feb. 2007 – Nov. 2007 | Postdoctoral Fellowship Physics Department, University of Pisa. |
Highlights of Research Activity
- 2022 – now: Study of technology to improve the sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors, with particular attention to the low-frequency domain
- 2018 – now: Development and application of machine learning and deep learning methods to physics and astrophysics
- 2017 – now: Multimessenger studies on gravitational waves and photons from pulsars
- 2013 – now: studies on future strategies for multimessenger study of compact objects (FIRB 2012). Data analysis of gravitational waves
- 2012-now: Study of variable sources in the Fermi-LAT data
- 2010 – 2012: Data analysis and development of search techniques for pulsars at gamma and X-ray energies
- 2008 – 2010: Study of galactic sources with LAT, in particular pulsars
- 2004 – 2008: Simulations of gamma-ray emission from different sources, in particular pulsars.
- 2003 – 2004: As an undergraduate student, I participated in the construction and test of the silicon tracker of the Fermi LAT
Responsibilities and memberships
- Nov 2021 – now: coordinator of GWitchHunters, a project joining citizen science and gravitational waves physics
- Apr 2022 – now: member of the project “Black Holes for ET in SArdina” (BHETSA) funded by the PRIN call of the Italian Ministry of University and Research
- Nov 2019 – Nov 2022: coordinator WP3 (Gravitational wave noise hunting) for the project EU REINFORCE
- Jan 2017 – Jun 2023: member of the Management Board and Scientific Board of European project RISE-NEWS. Co-coordinator of the work package “Gravitational waves”, responsible for the Unit University of Pisa
- Jun. 2017 – now: member of the European Astronomical Society (EAS)
- Jun. 2013 – Nov. 2016: Responsible of the Unit of Research at the University of Pisa, FIRB project “New perspectives on the violent Universe: unveiling the physics of compact objects with joint observations of
gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation” - Mar. 2014 – Nov. 2015: Coordinator science group for Galactic Sources in the Fermi-LAT Collaboration
- Sep. 2012 – now: Coordinator team for sky simulations in the Fermi-LAT Collaboration
- Sep. 2014 – now: Responsible work package “Periodic and transient sources” ASI-INFN contract for Fermi-LAT
- 2013 – now: member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
- 2004 – now: associate to Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)
- 2013 – now: associate to the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF)
- 2013 – now: full member of the Virgo Collaboration
- 2003 – now: member of the Fermi-LAT Collaboration
Teaching Activity
- 2022/23 – Docente corso “Multimessenger Physics Laboratory” (9 CFU), Piano di Studi Magistrale “Fisica dell’Universo”
- 2022/23 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2022/23 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2021/22 – Docente corso “Multimessenger Physics Laboratory” (9 CFU), Piano di Studi Magistrale “Fisica dell’Universo”
- 2021/22 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2021/22 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2020/21 – Docente corso “Multimessenger Physics Laboratory” (9 CFU), Piano di Studi Magistrale “Fisica dell’Universo”
- 2020/21 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2020/21 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2019/20 – Docente corso “Multimessenger Physics Laboratory” (9 CFU), Piano di Studi Magistrale “Fisica dell’Universo”
- 2019/20 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2019/20 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2018/19 – Docente corso “Multimessenger Physics Laboratory” (9 CFU), Piano di Studi Magistrale “Fisica dell’Universo”
- 2018/19 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2018/19 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2017/18 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2017/18 – Co-docente “Laboratorio I” (12 CFU)
- 2017/18 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2016/17 – Co-docente “Fisica I” (15 CFU)
- 2016/17 – Co-docente “Laboratorio I” (12 CFU)
- 2016/17 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2015/16 – Co-docente “Laboratorio I” (12 CFU)
- 2015/16 – Co-docente “Fisica delle onde gravitazionali” (9 CFU)
- 2014/15 – Co-docente “Laboratorio I” (12 CFU)
- 2013/14 – Co-docente “Laboratorio I” (12 CFU)
- 2009/10 – Teaching Assistant “Fisica B I – Corso B”
- 2006/07 – Teaching Assistant “Astrofisica II” (6 CFU)
- 2006/07 – Teaching Assistant “Cosmologia e Astrofisica Galattica” (6 CFU)
- 2005/06 – Teaching Assistant “Laboratorio di Fisica 1″