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Research areas

The main research areas currently pursued within the training programme (both as thesis topics and specialised PhD courses) include:

  1. Solar System: ground- and space-based observations and direct exploration via probes; participation in ESA and ASI missions such as BepiColombo, ExoMars, JUICE, DART (NASA), MRO (NASA), PROSPECT (ESA–Russia).
  2. Exoplanets: detection and characterisation of exoplanets using ground and space instruments—planet discovery, system characterisation (mass, radius, density, orbital parameters), atmospheric studies, astrobiology. Direct participation in the design, construction, and scientific use of CHEOPS (ESA), PLATO (ESA), ARIEL (ESA), HARPS-N@TNG (INAF), SPHERE@VLT (ESO), SHARK@LBT (INAF), and HIRES@ELT (ESO).
  3. Stars: stellar structure and evolution models; photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric observations of stellar populations in clusters, in the Galactic disk and bulge, and in nearby galaxies; novae and supernovae; scientific exploitation of Gaia (ESA) data.
  4. Compact objects: theory and observations; formation of compact objects, including in binaries; formation of massive black holes.
  5. Milky Way: structure, kinematics, metallicity, star-forming regions, properties of the bulge, disk, and halo.
  6. Magellanic Clouds: photometric, spectroscopic, and astrometric studies of their stellar populations and cluster populations.
  7. Galaxies: structure, kinematics, stellar populations, dynamics.
  8. Active galaxies: active galactic nuclei, quasars, blazars.
  9. Galaxy clusters: structure, formation, evolution, halos.
  10. Cosmology: observational cosmology at low and high redshift, cosmic microwave background, reionisation, formation of cosmic structures, dark matter, dark energy, theoretical cosmology; exploitation of EUCLID (ESA) data.
  11. High-energy astrophysics.
  12. Astroparticles: participation in the construction and scientific exploitation of the CTA international project.
  13. Gravitational waves: formation of gravitational waves, dynamics of massive black hole mergers and resulting emission.
  14. Fundamental physics from cosmic ray studies.
  15. Technology: design, development, and construction of astronomical instrumentation for ground- and space-based telescopes.
  16. History of Physics and Astronomy.
  17. Astronomical outreach.