Education
I earned my degree in Physics from the University of Pisa in 1993. Subsequently, I continued my academic journey at the same university, obtaining a PhD in Physics from 1994 to 1997.
From 1999 to 2001, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri. From 2001 to 2004, I held a fixed-term researcher position at the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Florence. Since 2004, I have been working at the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO). In 2016, I participated in a short visit as a visiting scientist at the University of Valencia in Spain. Subsequently, I was a visiting scientist at the University of Glasgow in the UK, in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In 2014, I had already been invited by the same university as a SUPA Distinguished Visiting Scientist for a two-week period. From 2018 to 2024, I served as the coordinator of the Data Science Office at the European Gravitational Observatory. Between 2018 and 2024, I was seconded to the Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) in Pisa.
Scientific Activities
Since 1995, I have been actively involved in the Virgo collaboration, contributing to the development and implementation of data analysis techniques, particularly from noise analysis to the detection of transient signals. During this time, I have acted as a mentor to many new members, imparting advanced skills in data analysis techniques. I pioneered the introduction of the whitening technique, which is used as a preprocessing step for transient signal search algorithms.
Subsequently, my research focused on the application of artificial intelligence techniques in the study of gravitational waves. I founded a working group on these topics and initiated international collaborations.
In 2017, I led the proposal for a COST Action (CA17137), aimed at creating a community focused on the application of advanced machine learning techniques for gravitational wave research. As the action chair of CA17137 (www.g2net.eu ), I coordinated a team of over 100 scientists from 27 European countries and three international partners, establishing a network for applying machine learning to gravitational wave data.
Through these initiatives, my team has made significant contributions to the field of machine learning applied to gravitational astrophysics. I have also participated in several European projects, including ESCAPE, which aims to develop innovative tools within the framework of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and EOSC-Future. Additionally, I am co-coordinating the data analysis team for the Einstein Telescope, a next-generation gravitational wave detector, and I am leading the creation of a network for multimessenger astrophysics in the AHEAD2020 project.
Recently, my research has focused on multimodal techniques applied to multimessenger physics.
I am the author of over 300 publications.
International Awards and Recognitions:
- 2016 – Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (shared for the discovery of gravitational waves)
- 2016 – Gruber Cosmology Prize (shared for the discovery of gravitational waves)
