PhD Student in Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Bologna and INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Bologna since November 2024, cycle 40th. His research focuses on observational astrophysics, astronomical instrumentation, and cosmology, with a strong specialization in optical design and adaptive optics (AO) technologies. Leveraging solid expertise in optical modeling with Zemax OpticStudio, his research activities center on characterizing instrumental systematics and distortions for weak and strong lensing observations, designing and analyzing wavefront sensors, and running high-resolution simulations for next-generation instrumentation (MORFEO/MICADO @ ELT). He also contributes to the INAF-S21 in-kind program for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
Education
He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Astronomy in 2021 at the University of Bologna with a thesis on the cosmic distance ladder. He earned his Master’s Degree in Astrophysics and Cosmology in 2024 at the same institution, defending a thesis focused on adaptive optics-corrected simulations of high-redshift star-forming clumps for MORFEO/MICADO@ELT. Since November 2024, he has been enrolled in the PhD program in Astrophysics and Cosmology, jointly run by the University of Bologna and INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Bologna.
Academic Career & Scientific Activity
Since 2021, he has conducted research in instrumental astrophysics, adaptive optics, and optical design applied to astronomy. In particular, he has acquired extensive proficiency in using Zemax OpticStudio for the simulation, optimization, and analysis of complex optical systems.
Key projects and research activities include:
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Optical Design & Wavefront Sensing (2024): Optical design, modeling, and performance evaluation of a wavefront sensor for adaptive optics systems at the University of Bologna.
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Optical Design Internship (2021): Theoretical and practical activities focused on optical layout and ray-tracing simulations for astronomical instrumentation.
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Vera C. Rubin Observatory (2025): Participation as a Commissioning Operator during operations in La Serena, Chile, within the framework of the INAF-S21 in-kind program.
Teaching Activity
He regularly carries out teaching support and tutoring activities for undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the University of Bologna.
He served as an academic tutor for Mathematics and Physics for Industrial Chemistry (A.Y. 2023/24) and teaching assistant for Mathematics for Industrial Chemistry (2024). He also acted as a computer laboratory tutor for the Master's course in Computational Astrophysics (2024).
For upcoming academic years, his teaching duties include appointments as a teaching assistant for Physics for Geology (A.Y. 2025/26) and Mathematics for Statistics and Finance (A.Y. 2026/27).
Technical & Instrumental Skills
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Optical Design & Astronomical Instrumentation: Advanced proficiency in Zemax OpticStudio for optical system design, ray tracing, aberration characterization, and instrumental distortion analysis. Hands-on experience modeling wavefront sensors for Adaptive Optics (AO) and analyzing optical configurations for major ground-based telescopes (ELT, Rubin).
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High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Programming: Experience utilizing HPC computing clusters for large-scale scientific simulations, code parallelization, and scaling analysis. Advanced proficiency in Python (including scientific/astrophysical libraries) and basic/intermediate knowledge of C++ and Fortran for scientific computing.
