Curriculum Vitae

Appointments

2021 – present

Associate Professor
University of Rome – Tor Vergata

2013 – 2021

Swift Guest Investigator Program Lead
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

2009 – 2012

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Education

Ph.D., Physics & Astronomy, University of Palermo (Italy)
Thesis: Gamma-ray bursts in the Swift era: evidence of a long-lived central engine and implications for the progenitor models.
Advisor: Dr. G. Cusumano

M. Phil., Physics & Astronomy, University of Palermo (Italy)
Thesis: XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant IC 443: analysis of the thermal X-ray emission.
Advisor: Prof. F. Reale
Credits: 110/110 cum laude

B. A., Physics & Astronomy, University of Palermo (Italy)
Thesis: X-ray spectroscopy of He-like ions in optically thin astrophysical plasmas.
Advisor: Prof. G. Peres
Credits: 110/110 cum laude

Courses

Awards

2021 Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (ESAM), NASA Agency Honor Awards
2018 Silver Achievement Medal (SAM), NASA Agency Honor Awards
2018 Early Career Research Scientist Prize for Excellence, Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland
2018 Italian Bilateral Scientific Cooperation Award, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2018 “Genio Vagante” Prize, Fondazione il Vittoriale
2017 Young Scientist Award, Italian Cultural Society