Curriculum Vitae
Current position
Oct 2022 - : ESO Associate Astronomer, ESO Headquarters, Garching bei München, Germany
Research: protoplanetary disk evolution, planet formation, young clusters and associations, PMS stars. PI of ERC StG WANDA.
Functional work: User Support Department, contact scientist for X-Shooter, SPHERE, MUSE, CRIRES.
Previous positions
May 2020 - Oct 2022 : ESO Assistant Astronomer, ESO Headquarters, Garching bei München, Germany
Sep 2017 - Apr 2020 : ESO Research Fellow, ESO Headquarters, Garching bei München, Germany
Sep 2014 - Aug 2017: ESA Research Fellow, ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Sep 2011 - Jul 2014: IMPRS graduate student, European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany
May 2011- Aug 2011: Graduate research assistant, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
May 2010 - Dec 2010: Undergraduate research assistant, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
Education
Sep 2011 - Jul 2014: PhD in Astronomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Univesität München (Germany), magna cum laude,
advisors: L. Testi (ESO), B. Ercolano (LMU)
Dec 2008 - Apr 2011: Master’s degree in Astrophysics, University of Milan (Italy), 110/110 cum laude,
advisors: M. Robberto (STScI), G. Lodato (UniMI)
Sep 2005 - Dec 2008: Bachelor’s degree in Physics, University of Milan (Italy), 110/110 cum laude,
advisors: M. Giglio, M. Potenza (UniMI)
Grants, honors and awards
2021-2023: Protostars and Planets VII, First author review chapter (published article)
2021: European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant, WANDA, 1.43 M EUR, website
2019: ESO Rewards and Recognition award
2017: ESO Fellowship, at ESO Headquarters, Garching bei München, Germany
2017: Marie Sklodowska-Curie IF, at Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK, (declined).
2015: Third year extension of the ESA Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
2014: ESA Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
2011: IMPRS Graduate Student Research Fellowship, International Max Planck Research School, ESO-Garching
2006 and 2007: Merit based incentives for students enrolled in degree courses in Physics, University of Milan, Italy
Observing time awarded as PI
ESO/VLT: 26 programs (1 Large Program PENELLOPE, 2 DDT), total more than 800 hours
HST: 3 programs, total 21 orbits
ALMA: 3 program, 39 hours
ING/WHT: 1 program, 1 hour
Observing time awarded as CoI
ESO/VLT: 106 programs (5 DDT, 1 Large Program DESTINYS).
HST: 9 programs (1 DDT, 1 Archival ODYSSEUS)
ALMA: 48 programs (1 Large Program DEC/O)
JWST: 4 programs
others: 36 programs, (incl. SMA, VST, Gemini, LBT, TNG, VLA, JCMT, REM, CFHT).
TALKS
Invited and contributed
11 Invited talks at conferences
12 Invited seminars in international institutes
27 Contributed talks at conferences
More than 20 Posters at conferences
Other talks: 76
Other activities
Supervision of students:
December 2022 - : Karina Mauco, ESO ERC WANDA Postdoc
August 2022 - : Justyn Campbell-White, ESO ERC WANDA Postdoc
Supervision of students:
May 2023 - August 2026: Hala Alqubelat, ESO ERC WANDA student
Sept 2022 - August 2025: Mari-Liis Aru, ESO ERC WANDA student
Sept 2021 - August 2024: Rik Claes, ESO IMPRS student
Mar 2021 - August 2021: Victor Almendos, Visiting PhD Student at ESO
summer 2021: Anirudh Ravishankar, ESO Summer Student Programme, co-advisor with A. Pala & N. Gentile Fusillo.
Sept 2020 - July 2021: Giulio Bettoni, Master Thesis at ESO/University of Milano, internal advisor: G. Lodato (Uni. of Milano)
Feb 2021 - Jan 2022: Maria Chiara Maimone, ESO PhD student, co-advisor with M. van den Ancker (ESO), internal advisor: A. Chiavassa (OCA Nice)
Sept 2020- Aug 2021: Jessica Erkal, ESO PhD student, main advisor, internal advisor: D. Coffey (Dublin City University).
Feb-Jul 2020: Alessia Annie Rota, Master Thesis at ESO/University of Milano, internal advisor: G. Lodato (Uni. of Milano)
Sep 2019 - Aug 2020: Gabriella Zsidi, ESO PhD student, co-advisor with: G. Hussain (ESO), A. Kospal (Konkoli Observatory).
summer 2019: Francesco Zagaria, ESO Summer Student Programme, co-advisor with S. Facchini & A. Miotello.
Feb 2019- Jan 2020: co-supervisor of Eleonora Fiorellino, ESO Studentship PhD student, with B. Nisini (INAF-OAR), S. Ramsey (ESO).
February 2019: main supervisor of Jonas Biba, Bogy Internship.
2015-2016: co-supervision of Alessia A. Rota, Master Thesis project, internal advisor: G. Lodato (Uni. of Milano)
2017-2020: Fellow mentor of 5 ESO PhD students
2017: main supervisor of Irene Haasnoot, Master's Degree project, with Prof. Ewine van Dishoeck (Leiden).
since 2015: co-supervision of Eleonora Zari, PhD student at Leiden Observatory, main advisors: Prof. Tim de Zeeuw,
Dr. Anthony Brown (Leiden), Dr. Jos de Bruijne (ESA).
Sept-Dec 2016: supervision of Jordan Voirin, ESTEC Trainee, with T. Prusti.
2015-2016: co-supervision of Maria Giulia Ubeira Gabellini, Master Thesis project, with Dr. Massimo Robberto
(STScI) and Prof. Giuseppe Lodato (UniMI).
2015: main supervisor of Maria Vincenzi, Leiden and ESA summer student program (LEAPS), with P.C. Schneider.
2015: co-supervision of Joao Calhau, Leiden and ESA summer student program (LEAPS), with G. Costigan (Leiden).
Member of PhD evaluation committees:
2021: Giovanni Strampelli (University of La Laguna, Spain), referee for the Thesis and member of the evaluation committee
2021: Benedetta Veronesi (University of Milano, Italy), referee for the Thesis
Large projects and collaborations
• ULLYSES-DISKS, community effort to obtain complementary data to HST ULLYSES program and resources to handle the data. Member of the Executive Committee, responsible for the optical and infrared complementary ground-based spectroscopic programs.
• DESTINYS, Large Program with the VLT/SPHERE instrument, leader of follow-up.
• SPIRou Legacy Survey science team, lead by J.F. Donati (IRAP), S. Alencar (UFMG), and J. Bouvier (Grenoble): large survey with the SPIRou instrument on CFHT. Member of the WP3 (star formation and young stars). Helping with target selection.
• Protoplanetary disk evolution surveys, Complete X-Shooter and ALMA surveys of disks in star-forming regions. Leader of the proposals and analysis of the X-Shooter samples in Upper Scorpius, Chamaeleon I, and Lupus (Manara et al. 2016a, 2016b, 2017a; Alcalá, Manara et al. 2017, more).
• JEts and Disks at INAF (JEDI), since 2013. Coordinator of Working Group 1: ”Optical/IR surveys of Class I/TT stars” since April 2015.
Reviewer of papers and applications:
since 2013: Referee for A&A, ApJ, AJ, MNRAS, RAS Proceedings A
2023: Panelist of the Time Allocation Committee for HST (Cycle 31)
2021: External Reviewer for JWST Time Allocation Committee (Cycle 2)
2021-2023: Reviewer for Swiss NSF Grant
2021: External Reviewer for HST Time Allocation Committee (Cycle 29)
2019: Reviewer for CFHT French Time Allocation Committee
2019: Panelist for ALMA Time Allocation Committee (Cycle 7)
2019: Reviewer for NEAR Science Demonstration proposals
2018: Reviewer of FONDECYT Research Proposals
2017-2018: Reviewer for HST Time Allocation Committee (mid-cycle 25)
2017: Member of the selection committee for ESO students
2015: Reviewer of Research Proposals for the ESA science Faculty
2014 & 2015: Reviewer of Research Fellowship applications, ESTEC, Netherlands.
2011-2012: Scientific Assistant, ESO Observing Proposal’s Committee, Periods 89-90-91-92.
November 2020: Promoter, chair of SOC and LOC of the ``Threats from the surroundings: the importance of environment for the evolution of discs and formation of planets'' e-workshop (website)
July-August 2020: Co-organizer of the “II ESO Summer Research Programme”, second ESO Summer Studentship, ESO, Garching, Germany (website).
July-August 2019: Promoter and organizer of the “ESO Summer Research Programme”, first ESO Summer Studentship, ESO, Garching, Germany (website).
October 2018: Promoter and organizer of the “Take a closer look: The innermost region of protoplanetary disks and its connection to the origin of planets”, ESO workshop, ESO, Garching, Germany (website).
October 2015: Organizer of the “Exchanging mass, momentum, and ideas: the accretion/outflows connection in YSOs", workshop at ESA/ESTEC, NL (website).
October 2015: Member of LOC, "Exploring the universe with JWST", ESA/ESTEC, NL.
Dec 2014: Co-Organizer of the “Milan Christmas Workshop", Milan, Italy (website).
October 2013: Organizer of the “Transitional discs in the ALMA era", Garching, Germany (website).
October 2011: Member of LOC, "Formation and evolution of Very Low Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs", Garching, Germany.
Member of Scientific Organizing Commmitees of conferences
May 2023: ``SPIDI23 - Physical processes in the inner disk of young stars : accretion, ejection, and planet formation'' in Corsica, France
Febr 2023: ``STRADE/YODA meeting'' in Napoli, Italy
July 2022: ``Accretion in young stars: Connecting the star, the disk, and the planets'' Cool Stars 21 splinter session
October 2021: ``The star-planet connection'' ESO online workshop
October 2020: ``From Protoplanetary Disks to Small Bodies, Planets and their Atmospheres'' Europlanet Science Congress 2020
August 2020: ``Accretion on all scales'' COSPAR 2020 splinter session
June 2020: ``Accretion in young stars: Connecting the star, the disk, and the planets'' Cool Stars 21 splinter session
October 2018: ``Take a closer look: The innermost region of protoplanetary disks and its connection to the origin of planets'' (co-chair) ESO workshop
Seminar and meeting organization:
2018 - 2020: Organizer of talks at ESO (ESO Informal Discussion)
2017 - 2020: Organizer of meetings at ESO (Star and Planet formation ESO group meeting)
March 2015: Organizer of the “ESTEC astrostatistics workshop", ESA/ESTEC, NL (website).
2014-2016: Organizer of internal and external seminars at ESA/ESTEC.
2014 & 2016: Organizer of the “ESA Research Fellow’s day", ESA/ESTEC, Netherlands.
2012-2014: Organizer of meetings and talks at ESO, Garching (Informal Discussion, Accretion/Star Formation Coffee).
Instrumentation:
SCORPIO@Gemini - broad- band imager and spectrograph. Member of the science team
GMOX@Gemini - broad-band multi-object medium-resolution spectrograph, PI Robberto: member of the science
team for the 2015 proposal.
SPIRou-S@NTT - NIR high-precision high-resolution spectrograph/polarimeter on the ESO/NTT, PI J.F. Donati: co-
author of the proposal for ESO/NTT new instruments 2014/2015.
Arago - UV-VIS high-resolution spectrograph/polarimeter satellite, PI C. Neiner (LESIA): co- author of the proposal for
ESA M4 missions 2014 and M5 mission in 2016, member of the working group on Pre-Main-Sequence stars.
Last update: 2023-08-31