Academic Qualifications

2013: Italian National Academic Qualification as Associate Professor

2003: Dr. Sc. Nat., University of Zurich, Switzerland

2003: Ph.D. in Astrophysics and Gravitational Physics, University of Salerno, Italy

1999: Degree (Laurea) in Physics (110/110 cum laude), University of Salerno, Italy

Positions held

2014 − Present Research Staff Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany

2011 − 2014      Postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany

2010 − 2011:     Research fellow at University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy

2010 − 2011:     Fellowship at the International Institute for Advanced Scientifc Studies, Vietri sul Mare (SA), Italy    

2008:                  Short-term visiting fellowship at University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy

2004 − 2010:     Research fellow at University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy

2001 − 2003:     International Ph.D. student at University of Zurich, Switzerland and University of Salerno, Italy

2000 − 2010:     Associated to the I.N.F.N. (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

2000 − 2001:     Research grant at University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

1999 − 2000:     Fellowship at University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Membership of collaborations

Since 2012 − Member of the GAPS collaboration

Since 2011 − Co-Investigator and member of the executive board of the HAT-South Project

Since 2011 − Manager of the Hess-site node of the HAT-South Project

Since 2009 − P.I. of the project “Accurate properties of extrasolar planets via telescope defocusing” at the Cassini 1.5m, MPG/ESO 2.2m, CAHA 2.2m, and CAHA 1.2  Telescopes

Since 2008 − Member of the MiNDSTEp collaboration

Since 2006 − Member of the PLAN collaboration

Observing Experience

Within the project: “Accurate properties of extrasolar planets via telescope defocusing” I have observed or coordinated the observations with the following telescopes:

• INT 2.5-m Telescope, Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Spain (4 nights)

• MPG/ESO 2.2-m Telescope at the ESO Observatory in La Silla, Chile (90 nights)

• CAHA 2.2-m Telescope at the Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory, Spain (9 nights)

• CAHA 1.23-m Telescope at the Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory, Spain (135 nights)

• Danish 1.54-m Telescope at the ESO Observatory in La Silla, Chile (25 nights)

• Cassini 1.52-m Telescope at the Loiano Astronomical Observatory, Italy (85 nights)

Within the HAT-South collaboration, I carried out spectroscopic observations (radial-velocity measurements) of planet candidates with the FEROS spectrograph with the ESO/MPG 2.2m Telescope at the ESO Observatory in La Silla, Chile (20 nights)

Within the MiNDSTEp collaboration, I carried out observations in order to detect exoplanets with the 1.54-m Danish Telescope at the ESO Observatory in La Silla, Chile (Parallel projects: Quasar lensing, comets) (91 nights)

Within the PLAN collaboration, I carried out observations in order to study microlensing of stars in M31 with the 1.52-m Cassini Telescope at the Loiano Astronomical Observatory (BO), Italy (51 nights)

• Sience
• The Astrophysical Journal
• Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
• Astronomy and Computing
  
• General Relativity and Gravitation

Invited Seminar

Pint of Science, Rome, Italy, May 16, 2017
Seminar: Strange, new worlds

ASI Science Data Center, Rome, Italy, March 16, 2017
Seminar: Seven new rocky planets in the Trappist-1 planetary system

Department of Physics, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy, March 17, 2016
Seminar: How to detect and characterize Exoplanets

Astronomical Observatory of Naples, Napoli, Italy, January 13, 2016
Seminar: Detection and characterization of Transiting Exoplanets

University of Salerno, Fisciano (SA), Italy, May 19, 2015
Seminar: The Kepler strange, new worlds

Astrophysical Observatory of Turin, Italy, November 27, 2014
Seminar: Accurate characterisation of transiting exoplanets by photometric follow-up observations

Königstuhl Colloquium
MPIA, Heidelberg, Germany, March 28, 2014
Seminar: The HATSouth Project

University of Salerno, Fisciano (SA), Italy, January 15, 2012
Seminar: The extrasolar planets: from hot Jupiters to SuperEarths

University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy, June 05, 2012
Seminar: Detection and characterization of extrasolar planets

ASI Science Data Center, Rome, Italy, December 20, 2011
Seminar: The search for extrasolar planets: successes, limits and future prospects

Torre Civica di Bientina (PI), Italy, May 27, 2011
Seminar: The extrasolar planets

Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Padova, Italy, December 11, 2008
Seminar: Gravitational Microlensing: The search for exoplanets and machos Microlensing

Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy, November 25, 2004
Seminar: Probing the Galactic Dark Halo by Gravitational Microlensing

Visiting

June 26 − July 14, 2017, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany

November 24 − 27, 2014, Astrophysical Observatory of Turin, Italy

November 15 − 18, 2011, Keele University, UK

June 29 − July 8, 2011, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, USA

December 2 − 5, 2008, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, University of Manchester, UK

June 2 − 13, 2003, Postdam University, Germany

May 5 − 16, 2003, University of Portsmouth, UK

Talks, posters and participation to conferences and schools

Transiting Exoplanets

Keele University, UK, July 17 – 21, 2017

JWST Info Day

Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy, March 17, 2017

5th CARMENES scientific meeting

Internationales Wissenschaftsforum Heidelberg, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany, Nov 21 – 24, 2016

XXIV Convegno Nazionale del GAD
Osservatorio Astronomico di Agerola, Agerola, Italy, Oct 7 – 8, 2016

Invited talk: Transiting exoplanets: state of the art and future prospects

Japan-Germany Planet & Disk workshop

Beach Hotel Sunshine Ishigaki, Ishigaki, Japan, Sept. 26 – 30, 2016

Talk: Accurate properties of Transiting Exoplanets from photometric follow‐up observations

Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics

Grand Hotel Tiziano e dei Congressi, Lecce, Italy, July 21 – 23, 2016

Talk: Exoplanets: present and future

Exoplanet I

Davos Congress Center, Davos, Switzerland, July 3 – 8, 2016
Poster:The HATSouth survey for transiting exoplanets

Poster: Photometric follow-up for transiting exoplanets

2^nd Chianti Topics workshop: "Use of small telescopes in the giant era"

Osservatorio Polifunzionale del Chianti, San Donato in Poggio, Firenze, Italy, May 11 – 13, 2016
Talk: The HATSouth survey

8^th GAPS Progress Meeting
Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Padova, Italy, April 6 – 8, 2016

7^th GAPS Progress Meeting
Astrophysical Observatory of Catania, Catania, Italy, November 4 – 6, 2015
Talk: The KOI-372 planetary system

OHP 2015 : Twenty years of giant exoplanets
Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, France, October 5 – 9, 2015

Poster: Eight years of accurate photometric follow-up of transiting giant exoplanets

1^st Chianti Topics workshop: "Exo-planetary atmospheres: models and laboratory analogues"
Osservatorio Polifunzionale del Chianti, San Donato in Poggio, Firenze, Italy, September 15 – 17, 2015

Talk: Transmission photometry to probe the atmosphere of transiting exoplanets

Networking Qatar Exoplanet Research Workshop

Qatar National Convention Centre, Doha, Qatar, March 2 – 4, 2015

Invited talk: Photometric follow-ups observations of transiting planets

Getting ready for Planetology beyond the Solar Systemy
Ringberg Castle, Germany, November 17 – 11, 2014

Talk: Accurate properties of extrasolar planets from observations of transit events
 

Exo-Planets and their Formation

Haus der Astronomie, MPIA Campus, Heidelberg, Germany, November 4 – 7, 2014

Invited talk: Photometric follow-ups of transiting exoplanets with ground-based medium-class telecopes

5^th GAPS Progress Meeting
Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Napoli, Italy, October 22 – 24, 2014

Talk: Photometric follow-up of planetary transits from Loiano and Calar Alto

Exoplanets with JWST - MIRI

Haus der Astronomie, MPIA Campus, Heidelberg, Germany, September 22 – 25, 2014

Talk: Studying transiting exoplanets with ground-based medium-class telecopes

Towards Other Earths II: The Star-Planet Connection

Oporto, Portugal, September 15 – 19, 2014

Poster: Photometric follow-up of transiting exoplanets with ground-based medium-class telescopes

Exoclimes III: The Diversity of Planetary Atmospheres
Davos, Switzerland, February 9 – 14, 2014
 

Ground-based Spectroscopy of Exoplanets Atmospheres

MPIA, Heidelberg, Germany, November 4 – 6, 2013

Invited talk: Simultaneous Multi-band Photometry

3^rd GAPS Progress Meeting
University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, October 24 – 25, 2013

Observing techniques, instrumentation and science for metre-class telescopes

Tatranská Lomnica, Slovakia, September 23 – 26, 2013

Invited talk: High-precision ground-based photometry

European Planetary Science Congress 2013
University College London, United Kingdom, September 08 – 13, 2013

Talk: Photometric follow-up of transiting extrasolar planets and the HATSouth survey

Protostars & Planets VI

Convention Center Heidelberg, Germany, Juli 15  – 20, 2013

Poster: The HATSouth Project

1st Doha International Astronomy Conference − Gravitational Microlensing: 101 years from theory to practice

Doha, Qatar, February  10 – 13, 2013

Talk: Photometric follow-up of transiting planets

Great−ESF Workshop. GAIA and exoplanets: Great Synergies on the Horizon

Turin, Italy Nov 5 – 7, 2012

Talk: HAT-South: a global network of automated telescopes to detect transiting exoplanets

Characterizing & Modeling Extrasolar Planetary Atmospheres: Theory & Observation

MPIA summer conference 2012, Heidelberg, Germany, July 16 – 20, 2012

Annual meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, "Surveys & Simulations - The Real and the Virtual Universe"

University of Heidelberg, Germany, September 19  – 23, 2011
 

III Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics

University of Salento, Lecce, Italy, June 20 – 22, 2011
Talk: Scaling laws and fundamental equations for supermassive black holes in galaxies

XV International Conference on Gravitational Microlensing
University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy, January 20 – 22, 2011
Talk: Analysis of microlensing events towards the LMC

School on Modelling Planetary Microlensing Events
University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy, January 18 − 19, 2011,

X Convegno Nazionale dell'Iniziativa Specifica NA12, "Gravitation and Inflationary Cosmology"
University of Naples, Naples, Italy, October 25, 2010
Talk: Accurate properties of extrasolar planets via telescope defocussing

IX Convegno Nazionale dell'Iniziativa Specifica NA12, "Gravitation and Inflationary Cosmology"
Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy, September 28 − 29, 2009
Talk: The physical connection between the mass of the black holes and the kinetic energy of the host galaxies

Galactic Center Workshop 2009

Shanghai, China, October 19 – 23, 2009
Talk: Gravitational lensing in the Galactic center

Twelfth Marcel Grossmann Meeting on general relativity and astrophysics

UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France, July 12 − 18, 2009
Talk: Gravitational lensing of S-star cluster by Sgr A*

II Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics

ICRA, Pescara, Italy, July 8 − 10, 2009
Talk: The M² versus M_Gσ² relation: a comparison between real data and numerical models

VIII Department Conference

Department of Physics, University of Salerno, Italy, 22 − 23 April, 2009
Talk: The Planetary system WASP-5

13th Microlensing Workshop

nstitut d'Astrophysique de Paris, France, January 19 − 21, 2009
Talk: Gravitational lensing and microlensing for stars around Sgr A*

IAU Symposium 254, "The Galaxy Disk in Cosmological Context"

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, June 9 − 13, 2008

VIII Convegno Nazionale dell'Iniziativa Specifica NA12, "Gravitation and Inflationary Cosmology"

Dipartimento di Fisica, University of Salerno, Italy, October 2 − 3, 2008
Talk: Search of exoplanets by ARTEMiS

Manchester Microlensing Conference, the 12th International Conference and ANGLES Microlensing Workshop

University of Manchester, UK, January 21 − 25, 2008
Talk: Non-Gaussian velocity distribution for the LMC sources: Microlensing implications

VII Convegno Nazionale dell'Iniziativa Specifica NA12, "Gravitation and Inflationary Cosmology"

Dipartimento di Fisica G. Galilei, University of Padova, Italy, September 27 − 28, 2007
Talk: Employment of a Non-Gaussian function to describe the LMC sources

IAU Symposium 245, "Formation and Evolution of Galaxy Bulges"

University of Oxford, UK, July 16 − 20, 2007
Poster: New Indications on the Galactic Bulge IMF by Microlensing Surveys

I Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics

University of Salento, Lecce, Italy, June 20 − 22, 2007
Talk: Gravitational lensing by the supermassive black hole in the center of M31

VI Convegno Nazionale dell'Iniziativa Specifica NA12, "Gravitation and Inflationary Cosmology"

Dipartimento di Fisica, University of Naples, Italy, October 26 − 27, 2006,

Eleventh Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity

Freie Universitt Berlin, Germany, July 23 − 29, 2006
Talk: Gravitational lensing of stars surrounding supermassive black holes

I Workshop di Astronomia e Astrofisica per Studenti

University of Naples, Italy, April 19 − 20, 2006
Review: Gravitational Microlensing: the Search of Machos in the Galactic Halo

V Convegno Nazionale dell'Iniziativa Specifica NA12, "Gravitation and Inflationary Cosmology"

Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Italy, October 27 − 28, 2005
Talk: Gravitational Lensing of stars in the central arcsecond of our Galaxy

XXVIII Spanish Relativity Meeting E.R.E. 2005 "A Century of Relativity Physics"

Oviedo, Spain, September 6 − 10, 2005
Talk: Gravitational Lensing of Stars Orbiting Sgr A*

IAU Symposium 225, "Impact of Gravitational Lensing on Cosmology"

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 19 − 23, 2004
Poster: Gravitational Lensing by Sgr A*
 

III Congresso Nazionale "Astrofisica degli Oggetti Compatti"

Osservatorio Astronomico di Monteporzio Catone (Roma), Italy, December 9 − 11, 2003
Talk: Gravitational Microlensing towards the Magellanic Clouds
Poster: Microlensing by PLAGs and SIBSs

Tenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting on General Relativity

"On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Gravitation and Relativistic Field Theories"

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 20 − 26, 2003,
Talk: On the Mass of the Gravitational Lenses in LMC

ISAPP 2003, International School on Astro Particle Physics, European Doctorate School

Conca Specchiulla (Otranto), Italy, June 15 − 21, 2003
Talk: Compact Baryonic Dark Matter revealed by Microlensing towards the LMC

Highlights in Condensed Matter Physics

Salerno, Italy, May 9 − 11, 2003
Talk: Compact Dark Objects and Gravitational Microlensing towards the Large Magellanic Cloud

Saas-Fee Advanced Course 33 (2003) "Gravitational Lensing: Strong, Weak and Micro"

Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, April 2003

Saas-Fee Advanced Course 32 (2002) "The Cold Universe"

Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, April 2002
Poster: Gravitational Microlensing by PLAGs

XIIIrd Rencontres de Blois "Frontiers of the Universe"

Blois, France, June 2001

The IX Marcel Grossmann Meeting

"On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Gravitation and Relativistic Field Theories"

University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy, July 2 − 8, 2000

Doctoral School on "Relativistic Cosmology: Theory and Observation"

Centre for Scientific Culture "Alessandro Volta", Villa Olmo, Como, Italy, April 2000

Workshop on Gravitational Lensing

Capri Island, Italy, September 27 − October 2, 1999
Talk: Gravitational lensing of a diffuse background source

Other research experiences

Participation to the research project: Gravitational Lensing, Dark Matter and Cosmology, PRIN 2006, run by Antonio Masiero

Participation to the research project: Mixing e oscillazioni di neutrini; cosmologia di stringa; teorie estese della gravitazione; materia oscura, PRIN 2004, run by Gianluigi Fogli

Teaching experience

Winter semester 2010/2011, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Laboratory of Astrophysics"

National Operational Program "Skills Development" 2007-IT-05 1 PO 007 Course C-1-FSE-2009-4537 "Astronomy", Liceo Scientifico "P.S. Mancini", Via De Concilii, Avellino, Italy, October-December 2010

Summer semester 2010, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Astronomy"

Summer semester 2010, University of Sannio, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Physics I" and "Physics II"

Winter semester 2009/2010, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Laboratory of Astrophysics"

Winter semester 2009/2010, University of Sannio, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Physics I"

National Operational Program "Skills Development" 2007-IT-05 1 PO 007 Course C-1-ESF-2008-2617 "Astronomy a neglected discipline", Liceo Scientifico "P.S. Mancini", Via De Concilii, Avellino, Italy, March-May 2009

Summer semester 2009, University of Sannio, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Physics I" and "Physics II"

Winter semester 2008/2009, University of Sannio, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Physics I"

Winter semester 2008/2009, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Laboratory of Astrophysics"

Summer semester 2007, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Astronomical Spectroscopy"

Winter semester 2006/2007, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Laboratory of Astrophysics"

Summer semester 2006, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Laboratory of Astronomy"

Summer semester 2005, University of Salerno, Italy
Assistance to the course of "Laboratory of Astronomy"

 Mosè Giordano (University of Salento)

Ph.D. thesis - September − December 2015

 Paula Sarkis (MPIA - University of Bern)

Ph.D. thesis - Summer 2016 / Summer 2020

Editor of this page: Luigi Mancini