Director of the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory, National Institute of Astrophysics, Naples, Italy

Born in Pisa in 1971, she was awarded the title of “Alfiere del lavoro” of the Italian Republic in 1989. In 1994, she graduated in Physics, Summa cum Laude, from the University of Pisa, and then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Florence. After short internships abroad, he began his scientific career at the Capodimonte Observatory with important collaborations with astronomers from other observatories in Italy and with researchers from the Universities of Pisa, Rome, Vienna and Paris and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico (USA). In 2016 he became first researcher and joined the Scientific Council of the National Institute of Astrophysics, Italy’s main body for astronomical research from ground and space, of which the Capodimonte Observatory is part. Since 2018 he has held the position of Director of the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory. In addition to being a member of some scientific committees of the International Astronomical Union and of the Technical-Scientific Committee of the European Southern Observatory, he is a member of the Doctoral College in Physics at the University Federico II, an Athenaeum at which since 2018 he has been the holder of the Stellar Evolution course of the Master’s Degree in Physics. His scientific interests are closely related to the study of the evolution of stellar variability, the development of hydrodynamic models of stellar pulsation, for which he holds the leadership in Italy, and the measurement of the cosmic distance scale. She has been coordinating the theoretical activities of the stellar evolution and pulsation group at the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory for many years and is involved, including in coordination roles, in numerous national and international projects. Frequently invited to give seminars and lectures in Italian and foreign research institutions, she has published more than 200 scientific papers in the most prestigious international journals and as many communications at congresses. In recent years, reconciling research activity with that of the Directorate, she also carries out training and scientific popularization activities for the public in collaboration with the most prestigious cultural institutions in Campania.