Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

At Unimore's FIM, a new research area in Astrophysics with Prof. Massimo Gaspari

Prof. Massimo Gaspari, after having consolidated his career mainly at Princeton University, where the world's largest centre for Astrophysics is located, has officially been a Full Professor at Unimore since May, in the Department of Physical, Computer and Mathematical Sciences (FIM), where he will launch an entirely new research area in Theoretical and Computational Astrophysics.

The call of Prof. Gaspari was strongly supported by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and the FIM Department and was made possible by the possibility of calling scientists of international excellence who have been awarded a research project of exceptional relevance, such as the prestigious `Consolidator Grant' from the European Research Council (ERC), with a funding of 2 million euros for five years.

Prof. Gaspari's BlackHoleWeather project aims to revolutionise black hole astrophysics by unifying the processes of 'feeding' and 'feedback' into a general theory (image attached). Using state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamic simulations and observations with state-of-the-art telescopes, the project will explore how supermassive black holes regulate galaxies, acting as cosmic thermostats. Prominent among Prof. Gaspari's discoveries is the Chaotic Cold Accretion (CCA) theory, which describes the atmospheres of black holes as complex weather systems, including phenomena strikingly similar to Earth's rain.

The use of cutting-edge computational technologies, such as GPU-accelerated codes and collaboration with NASA/ESA space missions such as Webb and Chandra, pave the way for innovative synergies with areas such as big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and high performance computing (HPC). This multidisciplinary interaction is essential to shift the boundaries of current research, providing new tools to decode the evolution of galaxies and the crucial role of black holes in the Universe.

This ERC project allows FIM and Unimore to establish a new research group, focused on recruiting young talent, and will enrich the university's educational offering with new teaching in Astrophysics as part of the existing international master's degree in Physics. This new module will offer unique opportunities for dissertations and PhDs in collaboration with the most prestigious international institutions in the field, with which Prof. Gaspari has established long-standing relationships.

CV Prof. Massimo Gaspari

He graduated with top marks (110/110 cum laude) in both his Bachelor and Master's degrees in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Bologna between 2006 and 2008, and then completed his PhD in Astronomy with excellence in 2012. During his subsequent period as a researcher, he worked in world-class centres of excellence (Max Planck for Astrophysics, INAF, Princeton University), achieving outstanding results with a remarkable scientific production (~200 articles in journals such as ApJ, MNRAS and Nature) and high impact (~10000 citations; h-index > 50). In addition to giving 60 invited presentations at conferences and seminars, he has won several calls for computational (52) and observational (110) projects on major HPCs and NASA/ESA telescopes (with funding totalling $7m), including in collaboration with international groups and leading several postdocs/students. Finally, during his academic career, he has won a ten or so major awards, including the Gratton Prize and the prestigious NASA Einstein and Princeton Spitzer Fellowships.

Categorie: International - english