Please find below a short version of my CV.
Feel free to get in touch if you are interested in a more updated and detailed version.
Please find below a short version of my CV.
Feel free to get in touch if you are interested in a more updated and detailed version.
2024 - present Assistant Professor (RTDb, tenure-track) - Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Florence (Italy)
2022 - 2024 Assistant Professor (RTDa)- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Florence (Italy)
2020 - 2022 ESO Fellow - European Southern Observatory (ESO), Garching (Germany)
2018 - 2020 Postdoctoral Researcher - Astronomy Department, University of Geneva (Switzerland)
2016 - 2018 Graduate Research Student - INAF / Astronomical Observatory of Rome (Italy)
2015 - 2016 Graduate Research Student - Kavli Institute for Cosmology & University of Cambridge (UK)
2023 - present National Scientific Habilitation to the role of Associate Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics
2015 - 2018 Ph.D. in "Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Space Science" - Sapienza University, University of Tor Vergata, and INAF (Italy). Final grade: Excellent cum Laude
2013 - 2015 M.Sc. in Astronomy & Astrophysics - Sapienza University (Italy). Final grade: 110/110 cum laude
2010 - 2013 B.Sc. in Physics & Astrophysics - Sapienza University (Italy). Final grade: 110/110
Last update: April 2025
>120 publications (95 refereed; 5 papers in Nature Research Journals).
H-index: 35; citations: 4100 (Google Scholar)
70 seminars (38 invited) at international conferences and research institutes.
2025 - present Lecturer in "Machine Learning for physicists" - M.Sc. program in Data Science, University of Florence
2024 - present Lecturer in "Computer Vision" - M.Sc. program in Data Science, University of Florence
2023 - present Lecturer in "General Physics" - B.Sc. program in Computer Science, University of Florence
2023 - present Lecturer in "Computer Science" - B.Sc. program in Physics & Astronomy, University of Florence
2024 - present Lecturer PF60 - "Structure of matter and complex systems for teaching [AI module]", University of Florence
2023 - present Guest lecturer for the M.Sc. class "AGNs and Black Holes", University of Florence
2023 - present Guest lecturer for the B.Sc. class "Introduction to Astrophysics", University of Florence
2019 - 2020 Laboratory Assistant for the M.Sc. class "Galaxies & cosmology", University of Geneva
2018 - 2019 Guest lecturer for the M.Sc. class "Stellar Evolution", Sapienza University
2013 - 2014 Laboratory Assistant for the B.Sc. class "Laboratory of Astrophysics", Sapienza University
Phd students
2025 Caterina Bracci - Ph.D. thesis, University of Florence (co-supervised with Dr. Francesco Belfiore)
2022 Claudia Di Cesare (Sapienza University) - Ph.D. research project (6 months visiting period) "Baryon cycling at high-redshift", ESO
2022 Meghana Killi (University of Copenaghen) - Ph.D. research project (6 months visiting period) "A study of spatial offsets between stellar and ISM phases in distant galaxies", ESO (co-supervised with Dr. Gergo Popping)
2022 Maria Stone (University of Turku) - Ph.D. research project (3 months visiting period) "Lyman-alpha nebulae around dust-obscured quasars at z~3", ESO
2021 Ivanna Langan (ESO) - P.h.D. thesis project "Multi-wavelength studies of the baryon cycle of disc galaxies", ESO (co-supervised with Dr. Gergo Popping and Dr. Nicolas Bouche)
M.Sc. students
2025 Ali Muswar - M.Sc. thesis "A web app design, development and deployment for the sonification of images via hand gesture detection: Herakoi_web", University of Florence (co-supervised with Dr. Alessandro Bombini)
2024 Caterina Bracci - M.Sc. thesis "Classification of galaxy spectra from emission-line regions with neural networks", University of Florence
2023 Matilde Brazzini - M.Sc. thesis "Studying the metallicity in HII regions of nearby galaxies" (main advisor: Dr. Francesco Belfiore), University of Florence
B.Sc. students
2025 Serena Vannacci - B.Sc. thesis "Using artificial intelligence to read palimpsest manuscripts", University of Florence
2025 Filippo Tanfulli - B.Sc. thesis "Emergent properties from the compressed representation of galaxy spectra via autoencoders", University of Florence
2025 Segio Belli - B.Sc. thesis "Analysis of galaxy morphology using convolutional neural networks and evaluation of model interpretability ", University of Florence
2025 Leonardo Zetti - B.Sc. thesis "Box of Sunlight: realistic reflection of light in 3D animation rendering" (main advisor: Prof. Stefano Berretti), University of Florence
2024 Claudio Soricaro- B.Sc. thesis "Dynamics of generative adversarial networks and model validation tools through large vision models ", University of Florence
2024 Irene Scarpanti - B.Sc. thesis "Impact of adversarial perturbations on the performance of pre-trained neural models ", University of Florence
2024 Luca Gennai - B.Sc. thesis "Analysis of SDSS galaxy spectra using artificial neural networks: towards a general representation in the latent space of convolutional auto-encoders", University of Florence
2024 Riccardo Trallori - B.Sc. thesis "Using neural nets to predict the mass-metallicity relation with galaxy images", University of Florence
2024 Nicole Maio - B.Sc. thesis "Galaxy kinematics using convolutional neural networks" (main advisor: Prof. Enrico Di Teodoro), University of Florence
2023 Michael Cavicchioli - B.Sc. thesis "Going Beyond Pixels - Image Representation via Embedding Vectors obtained from Large Pre-trained Models", University of Florence
2023 Elia Grilli - B.Sc. thesis "Analysis of MOONS simulated spectra with Neural Networks", University of Florence
2023 Francesco Chiti - B.Sc. thesis "Exploring the properties of quasars with Machine Learning", University of Florence
2023 Elia Eredi - B.Sc. thesis "Evaluation of human and model observers based on Artificial Intelligence in Computed Tomography protocols" (main advisor: Dr. Sandra Doria), University of Florence
2023 Federica Monchi- B.Sc. thesis "Dual Energy CT : physical principles and clinical applications" (main advisor: Dr. Sandra Doria), University of Florence
2021 Louise Kluge (University of Heidelberg) - ESO Summer Research Programme 2021 project "The mysterious [CII] emission in the interstellar medium of galaxies"
PI of 2 ALMA and 3 MUSE accepted observing programs
CO-I of more than 30 ALMA, MUSE, HST, JWST, NOEMA, Chandra, APEX, VLA, and Keck accepted programs.
Extensive experience in scheduling and executing observations with the APEX telescope; more than 500 hours of observations (either remote or from Atacama, Chile)
2025 - present Co-leader of the AI@MOONS WG, MOONS collaboration
2025 - present Advisor for student guidance and orientation (Delegato all'orientamento), University of Florence
2025 Co-organiser of the advanced school "Reti neurali in imaging medicale: dalla teoria alle applicazioni pratiche", Pistoia
2025 - present Co-founder of the Florence's AI4Phys collaboration, involving scientists from UNIFI, INAF, CNR, and INFN
2025 Co-organiser of the Florence's workshop on "Artificial Intelligence for Physical Sciences" (AI4Phys), University of Florence
2024 Reviewer for the ALMA development study BRAIN
2024 - present Founder and organiser of the science podcast umAnI, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Florence
2022 - present Co-founder and co-organiser of the ML Discussion Group at the Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Florence
2020 - 2023 Co-founder and co-organiser of the Galaxy Evolution Coffee, ESO
2022 - 2023 Organiser of the 2022-edition of the ESO Summer Research Programme
2021 - 2022 Selection Committee for the 2021-edition of the ESO Summer Research Programme
2020 - 2022 Organiser of the Knowledge Exchange Series, ESO
Referee for ApJ, MNRAS, A&A
2025 Science communicator -"Notti d'estate 2025", Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri
2025 Invited speaker, "L'alba di una nuova rivoluzione scientifica", Sezze
2025 Curator at the "Enlighting covisions" event, Centro Enrico Fermi, Roma
2025 Invited "Pianeta Galileo lecture", "Come l'AI ci aiuta a capire l'Universo", Cortona
2024 Invited seminar, Fondazione Scienza e Tecnica – Museo di Firenze, event: "Occhi umani e digitali puntati al cielo: come l'AI ci aiuta a capire l'Universo", Firenze
2024 Invited speaker, "14 miliardi di storia dell'Universo: dal Big Bang all'IA", Sezze
2024 Science communicator - "ScienzEstate 2024", University of Florence
2024 Invited speaker, event: "Uno sguardo al cielo", Istituto Comprensivo Carlo Pisacane – Ponza
2023 Science communicator - "BRIGHT NIGHT 2023", Florence
2023 Science communicator - "ScienzEstate 2023", University of Florence
2021 - present Member of "Associazione Astronomiamo" which promotes a direct link between astronomers and the general public. In 2022 I delivered a full course on "Galaxy Evolution" for the general public.
2021 Invited seminar - "Il destino e l’origine dello spazio-tempo", Sezze
2021 Invited seminar (virtual) – "Galassie in evoluzione: il ciclo cosmico dei barioni", Associazione Astronomiamo
2021 Invited seminar (virtual) – "L’Universo bello e complesso: stelle, galassie, buchi neri e tanto altro...", event: "Giornata della Scienza 2021", Istituto Comprensivo Don Camagni, Brugherio
2019 Invited speaker, event: "Progetto Lezioni di fisica moderna", Liceo Statale Leonardo Da Vinci, Terracina
2018 Science communicator (subject: "Galaxies") at "La Cité des Métiers", one-week exhibition at Palexpo, Geneva (Switzerland)
2018 Invited speaker at the Science Event "Incontro di Astrofisica", Latina Scalo