I am a black hole enthusiast, a cat-addicted person and I am delighted to lead this wonderful research team. I obtained my PhD in Astrophysics from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste (2006). My PhD Thesis on the “Relic signatures of reionization sources” was awarded both the Gratton and the Tacchini Prizes. In 2011, after a Forschungskredit postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Zurich and a senior postdoctoral fellowship in Milano, I moved to a permanent position at INAF Padova, where I obtained a “Future in Research” Italian grant (2013) and I started building an independent research group. In 2015, I was awarded the MERAC PRIZE for the Best Early Career Researcher in Theoretical Astrophysics by the European Astronomical Society, “for my theoretical and computational contributions to the dynamics of star clusters and galaxies, the reionization epoch, the Galactic centre, and the formation of massive stellar black holes”. In 2017, I became fixed-term professor at the University of Innsbruck and one year later I moved to the University of Padova as an associate professor. In 2017, I have been awarded an ERC consolidator grant about “The demography of black hole binaries in the era of gravitational wave astronomy”. My current work focuses on the astrophysical formation channels of compact-object binaries.
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS
Filippo Santoliquido
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
Hi, I am Filippo Santoliquido and I am a postdoctoral researcher. I have been a member of the DEMOBLACK group since 2019, when I started working on my master thesis. At that time I developed cosmoRate, a code that estimates the merger rate density of compact objects across cosmic time. My PhD work in the DEMOBLACK team was dedicated to further exploring the properties of compact objects across cosmic time. Thus, I developed and tested galaxyRate, a code that can reconstruct the properties of host galaxies using observational scaling relations, such as the main sequence of galaxies and the fundamental metallicity relation. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, rock climbing, and nature walks!
Gastón Escobar
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
I am a postdoc in the DEMOBLACK group. I obtained my PhD in Astrophysics in Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina). My main focus in research is in the branch of relativistic astrophysics. Before joining DEMOBLACK, I investigated the relativistic particle populations in microquasar jets with the aim of understanding the origin and properties of their non-thermal component. Particularly, for my PhD thesis I developed a model to propose microquasars as alternative Galactic and extragalactic cosmic-ray sources. For the DEMOBLACK project, my main focus is to develop an interface between the PeTar code, for cluster dynamics, and the group’s population-synthesis code SEVN. We will use this tool to investigate the formation channels of compact-object binaries in star clusters and produce simulated catalogues of gravitational-wave progenitors.
Giuliano Iorio
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
Before joining the DEMOBLACK team as a postdoctoral researcher, I was a Newton International Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, UK (2018 – 2019). I got my PhD at the University of Bologna under the supervision of Prof. Carlo Nipoti and Prof. Filippo Fraternali. My scientific interests are quite broad: during my PhD, I focused on the kinematics and dynamics of dwarf galaxies. During my fellowship in Cambridge, I exploited the first releases of the Gaia catalogue to study the stellar halo of our Galaxy. In particular, I was involved in the discovery of the last major merger experienced by our Galaxy (https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.4107). I am a “data lover” and coding enthusiast. I love to stay updated on machine learning and coding developments trying to find a way to apply them to my astrophysical researches. For the DEMOBLACK project, I will mainly focus on the development of the population-synthesis code SEVN and its integration in the AMUSE framework. Meanwhile, I will use the code to explore the physical processes driving the formation and evolution of black hole binaries.
Sara Rastello
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
I am a Post-Doc in the DEMOBLACK research group since February 2019. I studied in Bologna, where I got my bachelor (Astronomy) and master degree (Astrophysics and Cosmology). In 2015, I obtained a joint PhD fellowship from University of Rome “La Sapienza”, University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and INAF. During my PhD, under the supervisions of Roberto Capuzzo – Dolcetta, I studied the dynamics of star clusters over a broad range of mass and spatial scales and I became a skilled user of numerical codes such as NBODY6, NBODY7 and NBODY6++GPU. In 2017, I was awarded a PhD grant from “La Sapienza” University of Rome for my proposal entitled “Black Holes and Star Clusters over mass and Spatial Scales”. My main research field is galactic dynamics, with a focus on the dynamics of binary stars, black hole binaries, and other compact object binaries in star clusters.
Stefano Torniamenti
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
I am a PhD student in Astronomy at the Università degli Studi di Padova. My research focuses on the study of young star clusters, with particular attention to the formation and evolution of their binary black hole population. The main goal of my project is to build a new approach to investigate the interplay among dynamics, stellar and binary evolution, and hydrodynamics in these still poorly understood stellar systems. Before starting my PhD in Padova, I graduated in Physics at Milano University, where I completed my Bachelor and Master Thesis under the supervision of Giuseppe Bertin. In my master thesis, I studied the processes of energy equipartition and mass segregation in globular clusters by means of self-consistent models.
PHD STUDENTS
Maria Paola Vaccaro
PhD student
I’m a computational astrophysicist, working in the field of gravitational-wave astronomy and black hole dynamics. I have studied Physics at the University of Pisa (bachelor degree) and Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Padua (master degree). With the DEMOBLACK group, I have developed a semi-analytical model of the active galactic nucleus disk scenario for hierarchical black hole mergers which is included in the code FASTCLUSTER. In my free time, I love practicing yoga, swimming, playing with my sewing machine and reading novels.
MASTER and BACHELOR STUDENTS
Alberto Brentegani
Bachelor student
UniPd
Alberto Magaraggia
Bachelor student
UniPd
Cecilia Sgalletta
Master student
UniPd
Enrico Montanari
Master student
UniPd
Erica Greco
Master student
UniPd
Francesco Spezzati
Bachelor student
UniPd
Irma Berviglieri
Bachelor student
UniPd
Lorenzo Merli
Bachelor student
UniPd
Marianna Zerajic De Giorgio
Bachelor student
UniPd
Nicola Gaspari
Master student
UniPd
Riccardo Baldo
Master student
UniPd
Roberta Rufolo
Master student
UniPd
MAIN COLLABORATORS
Alessandro Trani
Senior Fellow
Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Alessandro Alberto Trani is an INTERACTION Senior Fellow at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. He received his PhD from SISSA in 2017, before moving to The University of Tokyo as a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow. His Ph.D. focused on the dynamics of stars, gas, and planets close to SgrA*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our Galaxy. With the advent of GW astronomy, he is now leveraging the gravitational few-body problem to unveil the astrophysical origin of GW events. His main research interest remains the study of collisional self-gravitating systems, which include star clusters, galactic nuclei, binary stars, and planetary systems. He collaborates with the DEMOBLACK group in the development of the population-synthesis code SEVN.
Erika Korb
PhD student
UniPd
I’ve been collaborating with the DEMOBLACK group since 2020, conducting projects on stellar and binary evolution for my bachelor (Astronomy) and master (Astrophysics and Cosmology) – both achieved at the University of Padua. I love data analysis, coding, and stars, thus, I am working with this team also for my PhD project: I am using the stellar evolution software MESA and the population-synthesis code SEVN to study and characterize the physics of mass transfer processes. When I am not in front of a computer, I am likely biking somewhere and taking pictures of the wonders I bump into.
M. Celeste Artale
FWF stand-alone postdoctoral fellow
Innsbruck University
I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics, University of Innsbruck, Austria, and I am the principal investigator of a Stand-Alone Project from FWF in Austria. I did my Master and Ph.D. studies in Physics at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. My research field is varied. In particular, I am very interested in the properties of the host galaxies of merging compact objects. Understanding which are the most likely host galaxies of merging compact objects can help to identify the electromagnetic counterpart of gravitational wave detections. It is also relevant to discuss different open questions in binary stellar evolution and cosmology.
Manuel Arca Sedda
MSCA - IF
UniPd
I’m Manuel Arca Sedda. Aside from chasing black holes in star cluster simulations, I love spending time with my family and learning more about martial arts, photography, winery, comics, books, movies, and music. It’s a pity that one day has just 24h. I earned my PhD in Astronomy at the University of Rome Sapienza in January 2014, where I also was a postdoc until the end of 2016. In 2017 I moved to Heidelberg, where I joined the Astronomisches Rechen Institut. In 2018 I was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship to pursue my research project “Black Holes at all the scales”. Since March 2022 I am a Marie Curie fellow at the University of Padova where I conduct my research project “GRACE-BH”, which aims at tackling the challenge to answer the question “What are the best conditions under which an intermediate-mass black hole forms in a massive stellar system?”.
Marco Dall’Amico
PhD student
UniPd
I am a Ph.D. student at the Physics and Astronomy department of the University of Padova since October 2020, when I began my journey in this marvelous research field. In the DEMOBLACK group, I study the impact of dynamics on the formation of compact binaries and how the surrounding stellar environment affects this process. Currently, I am diving into three-body encounters among black holes. By means of N-body simulations, I investigate the role of dynamical interactions on the production of massive binary mergers. Here in Padova, I earned both my Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy and my Master’s degree in Physics, but I also spent one year of my Master’s at Stockholm University playing with big telescopes and learning weird Swedish words. When I am done working, I like getting lost somewhere in nature, fixing bikes, or just strumming my guitar.
Mario Pasquato
Astrofit2 Marie Curie fellow
INAF Padova
After earning my master’s from Scuola Normale Superiore, I was a Ph.D. student at Pisa University. I worked on catching intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) as a summer intern at Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) with Prof. Stiavelli and Prof. van der Marel, and obtained my Ph.D. in 2010. Later I was a postdoc at the COSMIC-LAB group led by Prof. Ferraro, where I co-authored a Nature paper on blue-straggler stars. Fascinated by Asia, I moved to Seoul to work at Yonsei University. I spent five years there developing my own research project in computational astronomy, teaching, mentoring students and collaborating with the Italian embassy’s technical-scientific committee before moving back to Padua in 2017, where I became a Marie Curie Fellow hosted by Prof. Mapelli with a project focused on applying machine learning to astronomy.
Nadeen Sabha
postdoctoral fellow
Innsbruck University
I am currently a postdoc at the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck. I obtained my B.Sc. in applied physics in 2003 from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Jordan. As a member of Bonn Cologne Graduate School of Physics and Astronomy (BCGS), I obtained my M.Sc. in experimental physics in September 2010 from the University of Cologne, for which I was awarded the DAAD prize 2011 for excellent international students at German universities. By extending on my master thesis work on high resolution infrared studies of the central parsec of our galaxy, I continued toward my PhD degree which I finished at the end of 2014. My research is focused on investigating the Galactic Centre using infrared observations to study the stellar population and the diffuse emission associated with the Centre’s massive clusters. I am also part of ENGRAVE, an international collaboration dedicated to follow-up studies of electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources.
Ugo N. Di Carlo
Postdoctoral fellow
Padova University
My name is Ugo Niccolò Di Carlo and I’m a PhD student at University of Insubria and INFN Padova. I got both my bachelor and master degrees at University of Padova, with a thesis on the tidal disruption of young star clusters near the galactic center, and on the rotation of young star clusters, respectively. Currently, I work on the formation of gravitational wave sources in young star clusters. I investigate how dynamics may lead to the formation of binary compact objects with different properties. To do so, I mainly use direct summation N-body simulations, but I also have some experience with hydrodynamical codes. Besides science, I love cooking, music, photography and videogames.
FORMER MEMBERS
Alessandro Ballone
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
I am a postdoc in the DEMOBLACK group since November 2019. For my Master’s thesis at University of Bologna (supervisor Fabrizio Brighenti), I studied the impact of jets from supermassive black holes (SMBHs) on the hot-gas of elliptical galaxies. For my PhD, I moved to Munich at MPE and USM. With my supervisors, Andreas Burkert and Marc Schartmann, I studied the little gas cloud G2 orbiting SgrA*, the SMBH in the center of our Galaxy. In November 2016, I joined a MERAC foundation project (led by Michela Mapelli), to investigate the dynamics of molecular clouds and intermediate-mass black holes in the vicinity of SgrA*. For the DEMOBLACK project, I work on hydrodynamical simulations of star cluster formation, to generate “realistic” initial conditions for direct N-body simulations of star clusters. My final goal is to understand the impact of realistic star cluster models on the dynamical evolution of stellar binary black holes. This task combines my expertise in hydrodynamics and my long-term interest in black holes.
Guglielmo Costa
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
Hi, my name is Guglielmo and I am a postdoc in the DEMOBLACK group. I obtained my PhD in SISSA (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste) in 2019. I study stars and how they evolve. In my work, I focused my attention on stellar rotation since it may strongly change the evolution and the main properties of the stars. To study such a topic, I used PARSEC (Padova tRieste Stellar Evolutionary Code) models in which I included the main effects of rotation. In my studies, I confirmed that rotation is not a negligible ingredient, and it should be taken into account to properly model stars. Moreover, my work on NGC1866 stellar cluster gives interesting clues on its formation process (take a look here).
Nicola Giacobbo
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
My research focuses on the demography of compact-object binaries since my Master thesis (2016). During my PhD studies at the University of Padova (2016 – 2019), I have developed the MOBSE population-synthesis code (Giacobbo et al. 2018; Giacobbo & Mapelli 2018), which I have used to investigate the evolutionary pathways of compact binaries and their dependence on stellar metallicity, common envelope, supernova kicks, and many other physical processes. In general, my interests span from the evolution of single and binary stars to compact-object dynamics and computational astrophysics. I have just started my first postdoctoral fellowship in the DEMOBLACK team.
Yann Bouffanais
Postdoctoral fellow
UniPd
I am a postdoctoral fellow member of the ERC project DEMOBLACK. Before joining DEMOBLACK, I was a PhD student at the APC laboratory in Paris under the supervision of Edward Porter. My research interests are focused on the use of Bayesian analysis techniques applied in the field of gravitational wave (GW) and astrophysics. In particular, I have developed an efficient search algorithm based on particle swarm optimisation tailored to find galactic compact binaries as seen by the future GW interferometer LISA. I have also contributed to the development of parameter estimation techniques for compact binary coalesces observed by LIGO/Virgo. Nowadays, my research work focuses on applying Bayesian hierarchical approach to state-of-the art models of binary black holes, in order to differentiate the formation channels of binary black holes.
