EDUCATION
TITLES
2004: PhD in Physics. “Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Earth-Atmosphere Infrared Emission in Presence of Ice Clouds and Its Implications on Atmospheric Cooling”. University of Bologna (I)
2000: Master Degree in Physics (110/110 cum Laude). University of Bologna (I)
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COURSES (of at least 1 week)
5) "Aerosols and Climate Change", International Summer School on Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ISSAOS) 2008, by CETEMPS - University of L'Aquila (I).
4) “Remote Sensing Seminar: Application with the newest Multi-Spectral Meteorological Satellites”, by NOAA, CIMSS, University of Basilicata. 2003, Maratea (I).
1, 2, 3) “Parameterisation of Diabatic Processes”, “Numerical Methods, Adiabatic Formulations of Models”, “Data Assimilation and Use of Satellite Data”, 15 April - 22 May 2002, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, ECMWF, (UK).
CAREER
JOB POSITIONS
2020-present: Associate Professor at the Physics and Astronomy Dep. (DIFA) of the University of Bologna (I).
2006-2020: Assistant Professor/Researcher at the Physics and Astronomy Dep. of the University of Bologna (I).
2005-06: Associate Researcher at the Space Science and Engineering Centre of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison (USA).
2004-06: Research Fellowship (3 years) at the Physics Department of the University of Bologna (I) on the project “Radiative Transfer and Earth Climate”.
TEACHING ACTIVITY at the University of Bologna
Master II level: Space Missions Science, Design and Applications (SPICES)
2021-present: Satellite Monitoring of the Climate and Ocean System (8-10h)
PhD: Future Earth, Climate and Societal Challenges
2019-present: Remote sensing observations of scattering layers, (6h).
Master: Physics of the Earth System
2022-present: Radiative Transfer: theory and modelling (6 cfu - 56h)
2022-present: Atmospheric Physics and Meteorology (3 cfu - 24h)
Master: Science of Climate
2022-present: Radiation, Clouds and Climate (3 cfu - 24h)
2023-present: Earth Observation of the Climate system (3 cfu - 24h)
PAST UNIVERSITY COURSES
2021-2022: The climate system: drivers and impacts - module 1 (6h), Minor course
2011-2023: Planetary Atmospheres, (6 cfu - 48h), Bachelor in Astronomy
2018-2022: Radiative Transfer and Remote Sensing, (6 cfu - 64h) Master in Physics of the Earth System
2020-2022: Atmospheric Physics and Meteorology (3 cfu - 28h) Master in Physics of the Earth System
2013-2018: Radiative Transfer and Remote Sensing - (2 cfu - 24h), Master in Physics of the Earth System
2012: Laboratory for Atmospheric Measures - (1 cfu -16h), Bachelor Physics of the Atmosphere and Meteorology (FAM)
2010-2011: Planetary Physics, Earth Atmosphere, Bachelor in Astronomy
2009-2012: General Physics II – Mod. 2, Bachelor FAM.
2006-2011: Radiative Transfer - Mod. 2, Master in Physics
2004/2006-2009: Physics of the Atmosphere – Mod. 2, Bachelor FAM
2004 Climatology – Mod. 2, Bachelor FAM
PhD COMMITTEES
2026: Evaluation Committee of the PhD Future Earth, Climate Change and Societal Challenges of the University of Bologna
2024: Evaluation Committee of the PhD in Ingegneria per l’Innovazione e lo Sviluppo Sostenibile of the School of Engineering of the Univ. of Basilicata.
2010-15: Permanent committee of the PhD in Scienze della Terra (Earth Sciences) - DOT0303581, Univ. of Bologna.
2015: Evaluation Committee for XXVII° Cycle PhD Thesis on Telerilevamento Univ. Roma La Sapienza.
2013: Evaluation Committee for XXV° Cycle PhD Thesis on Telerilevamento Univ. Roma La Sapienza.
2007-12: Permanent committee of the PhD in Modellistica Fisica per la Protezione dell'Ambiente - DOT0303181, Univ. of Bologna.
2012: Committee for the admission to the XXXVIII° Cycle PhD in Science della Terra, Univ. di Bologna
TUTOR ACTIVITY for PhD, PostDoc and MASTER Final Dissertations
2007-present: Tutor of 7 PhD thesis (P. Veglio, D. Ori, W. Cossich, M. Martinazzo, G. Proietti Pelliccia, E. Fabbri, F. Donat) and co-tutor of 6 PhD (A. Bozzo, P. Pettinari, S. Della Fera, R. Ghidoni, A. Achilli, L. Buriola) thesis from the XX° PhD cycle and followings of the University of Bologna.
2006-present: Supervisor of various thesis for the Master degrees in Physics, in Physics of the Earth System, in Astrophysics and Cosmology and for the Bachelor degree in Physics and in Physics of the Atmosphere and Meteorology.
Presently tutoring 1 Associate Researcher, 3 PhD students, 1 master degree student.
INTERNATIONAL TEACHING ACTIVITY and SUMMER SCHOOLS
2025: Lecturer at the Second International School on Satellite Meteorology (ISSM). Organised by University Parthenope and ISAC-CNR (BO), Bologna (Italy)
2024: Lecturer at the First International School on Satellite Meteorology (ISSM). Organised by University Parthenope and ISAC-CNR (BO), Naples (Italy)
2023: Lecturer at the INDRA project Summer School: Machine learning applications in precipitation estimation. Hanoi (Vietnam)
2022-23: Collaborator for the course “Conhecendo a Baia de Guanabara” organized by UFRJ, Pro-Reitora, Rio de Janeiro (Br)
2016-17-19: Lecturer at the Remote Sensing Satellite Data Course (two weeks course in Portuguese, 12h and 20-25 students) within the Post Graduate Program in Meteorology at the Instituto de Geociencias, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Br). In addition to the teaching classes, 2 research seminars were provided concerning the research activities of the atmospheric physics group at the DIFA-Unibo. International Mobility Projects for teaching staff.
2012: Visiting Professor at the DEGGE, Faculdade de Ciencias, Universidade de Lisboa (PT), 1 week seminars on research and teaching activities concerning atmospheric physics at the DIFA-Unibo.
2003: Lecturer at the International Summer School on “Remote Sensing School: Application with the newest Multi-Spectral Meteorological Satellites”, Bertinoro (I). Organised by NOAA-NASA, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Univ. of Bologna.
TEACHING REWARDS
2017 and 2019: Personal Encomium from the Rectorate of the University of Bologna for the results obtained in the teaching activities at the Physics and Astronomy Department.
INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITY
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
2026-present: Delegate of the Rector of the University of Bologna to the Italian Consortium for the Copernicus Academy (CICA)
2021-present: Working group for the International relations of the Physics and Astronomy Department of the Univ. of Bologna.
2019-present: Committee for the Erasmus+ Traineeship for the Physics and Astronomy Department of the Univ. of Bologna.
2019-present: Erasmus Plus Reference Coordinator for the inter-institutional agreements in Earth Science with the Universität zu Köln - GERMANIA (D KOLN01).
2010-2024: Erasmus Plus Reference Coordinator for the inter-institutional agreements in i) Meteorology and ii) Others: Geography-Geology with the Universidade de Lisboa (P LISBOA109 ULISBOA).
2014-present: responsible for the international activities within the Master Degree in Physics of the Earth System (FST), Univ. of Bologna.
University Committees
2025-present: President of the committee for the master’s degree in Physics of the Eart System of the University of Bologna
2017-present: University of Bologna Committee for the definition of the requirements and evaluation of the basic qualifications for the Meteorologist Certificate (CAM) in accordance with the WMO/OMM standard (technical regulations no. 1083 Vol. I).
2015-present: Member for Committees for different positions at ISAC-CNR Bologna (6).
2013-present: Admission Committee for the FST Master degree, Univ. of Bologna.
2006-2018: Permanent committee for the Bachelor FAM, Univ. of Bologna.
CHAIRMAN AT CONFERENCES
2025: Chairman at the Joint FORUM-HAWC workshop, 2025, Montreal, Canada
2024: Chairman at the IASI Conference 2024 (Session on IASI Validation). Nancy (FR)
2024: Scientific committee and chairman at the ESA ATMOS Conference (Session on Datasets), Bologna (IT)
2023: Organizer of the 1st Workshop of the FORUM Italian community, Univ. of Bologna.
2022: co-chair (with Tobias Wehr, ESA) at the ESA Living Planet Symposium session “Cloud and precipitation optical properties and microphysics”, Bohn (Germany)
2015-17: Chairman at the Lunch Seminars, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. Of Bologna
2008: Chairman at the Earth System Colloquia, Physics Department, Univ. of Bologna.
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
2025: The 2nd FIT-FORUM School on radiative transfer modelling. Potenza (IT).
2025: Unipol Academy: “Dati satellitari in atmosfera terrestre” (12h videoconferencing and labs)
2024: The 1st FIT-FORUM Training School: Organizer, chairman and Speaker. Bologna (IT)
2024: “La settimana del Pianeta Terra” organized by INGV Italy
2023-2025: “Orientamento attivo nella transizione scuola-università”, funded by European Union– NextGenerationEU: 4 courses.
2007-present: AlmaOrienta and seminars on the Physics of the Atmosphere, Meteorology and climate science in many first and second level schools and Gymnasiums of the Emilia Romagna region.
2018: La notte dei Ricercatori - Meteorology and Climate. Bologna.
2011: Speaker at La Fisica in Barca organised by INFN, Marina di Rimini (I)
2008-11: Seminars in various Gymnasiums of the Emilia Romagna Region within the national Project Lauree Scientifiche.
2007-10: responsible for the Outreach activities of the Bachelor degree in FAM through seminars on the Physics of the Atmosphere, Meteorology and climate science in the Gymnasiums of Emilia Romagna territory.
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY
Present ACTIVITIES
The main part of the scientific activity is presently related to the European Space Agency satellite mission FORUM (The Far-infrared Outgoing Radiation Understanding and Monitoring) of which Tiziano Maestri is one of the proposers and developers. FORUM, which will be devoted at providing the first high spectral resolution measurements from space in the far infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum, will be sent on orbit in the Q3 of 2028 as the 9th ESA Earth Explorer mission.
General scientific activities include:
- Numerical modelling of the atmospheric radiative transfer: scaling methods and fast solution for multiple scattering radiative transfer in the atmosphere.
- Inversion techniques to infer geophysical parameters, optical and microphysical properties of clouds and aerosols from high spectral resolution measurements at IR (application to IASI, FORUM and IASI-NG)
- Cloud identification and classification algorithms from high spectral resolution infrared data using innovative machine learning techniques (application FORUM).
- Identification of methane sources and quantification of emission fluxes from hyper spectral imagers (i.e. PRISMA) and spectrometer (i.e. TROPOMI) in the solar spectrum. Intercomparison of GHG concentrations from IR sounders and hyper spectral imagers through downscaling techniques.
- Urban aerosol from passive satellite measurements in the SW and LW. Relating in-situ measurements of PMs to satellite derived aerosol optical depths.
PAST ACTIVITIES
Modelling of the stochastic aggregation of distributions of pristine ice crystals and evolution to dry and wet snowflakes. Computation and definition of optical and polarimetric properties of aggregated complex snowflakes. Application to polarimetric radar and microwave measures and definition of reflectivity-snow rate parameterisations.
Statistical analysis of vertical features of cirrus clouds by means of combined satellite lidar backscatter profiles and radiometric measurements.
Evaluation of the performance of climate models in reproducing total cloudiness fraction on global and regional scales.
Radiative transfer in the Venus atmosphere and characterisation of the planet's hazes and aerosols layers through combined analysis of nadir and limb data. Inversion methods for inferring atmospheric properties on Jupiter (Juno mission).
Comparison of LbL multiple scattering forward models with fast radiative routines used in NWP and Climate models and in development of new ice cloud optical properties parameterization for weather and climate forecast models (i.e. the COSMO Lokal-Modell).
ONGOING PROJECTS
2024-2027: Space It Up project funded by the Italian Space Agency, ASI, and the Ministry of University and Research, MUR, under contract n. 2024-5-E.0 - CUP n. I53D24000060005. WP7.4 “Zero emission society” for the monitoring of aerosols and GHG in urban and rural environments.
2024-2026: Local PI for PerReC - CAIRT Phase A Mission Performance and Requirement Consolidation Activity. ESA contract No. 4000136480/21/NL/LF. WP7611 leader: “Cloud and volcanic ash radiative properties”.
2023-2026: Local PI for the Italian Space Agency project “CASIA – CAIRT: analysis and synergy with IASI-NG” Agreement between IFAC-CNR and ASI (2023-3-HB.0). WP3500 leader: “Simulation and parameterisation of clouds at limb”
2023-27: PI for the FORUM E2E Simulator - MetOp-SG Module (MSGM) (ESA Contract No. 4000141335/23/NL/CT) from 2023-2024. CC1: Updates to L2M module and to the RTMs (2025). CCN2: Scene classification using the SCIC model (2026-2028).
2022-26: RETURN Extended Partnership funded by the European Union Next-GenerationEU (National Recovery and Resilience Plan – NRRP, Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3 – D.D. 1243 2/8/2022, PE0000005. Spoke 5, TS1 Urban and metropolitan settlements. Task leader for T5.2.3 - Models and methods for urban multi-risk data management.
2022-27: Collaborator for “Developing a geolocation/temperature-dependent ice cloud spectral optical property model toward an improved understanding of outgoing far-infrared spectra under ice cloud conditions”, PI: Prof. P. Yang, proposal 22-EUSPI22-0006, funded by NASA call “Earth Science U.S. Participating Investigator”.
PAST PROJECTS
2023-25: PI for the FIT-FORUM (Forward and Inverse Tool for the FORUM mission) project funded by the Italian Space Agency (Accordo attuativo: n. 2023-23-HH.0)
2023-2025: Collaborator for RESTART (uRban hEat and pollution iSlands inTerAction in Rome and possible miTigation strategies). PRIN2022, by MIUR (code: 2022KZ2AJE)
2023-25: Local PI for the ESA RFP/3-17846/22/NL/IA Technical Assistance for the CAIRT Experiment (CAIRTEX) by means of a Balloon-borne Limb sounding Campaign in Canada. (ESA Contract No. 4000141036/23/NL/FF/ab).
2024: Agreement with HERA SPA for the definition of the detection limit of methane natural and anthropogenic sources in urban and sub-urban environment by using hyper-spectral satellite imagery.
2018-23: Local PI in the FIRCLOUDS - Closure experiment in the Far infrared for the Antarctic clouds (funded by MIUR PNRA16_00189).
2019-22: Local PI for the FORUM-Scienza project funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Accordo Quadro n-2018-6-Q.0 with ASI and CNR-INO Florence (I). WP2600 leader: Generation of scattering properties of clouds and aerosols for Line-by-Line and fast radiative transfer codes.
2019-20: Local PI for the E2E Simulator for FORUM CCN2 the future 9th Earth Explorer Track Mission (FORUM_E2ES_CCN2-ECP for ESA Contract n° 4000123810/18/NL/CT CCN2) sub-contractor with DEIMOS Elecnor (Spain).
2018-19: Scientific responsible and Local PI for the E2E Simulator for FORUM the future 9th Earth Explorer Track Mission (ESA_E2E_ITT AO/1-9220/18/NL/CT) sub-contractor with DEIMOS Elecnor (Spain). Responsible for the Scene Generator Module, L2 classification, ATBD definition.
2018-9: Local PI for the ESA Express Procurement (EXPRO) “FORUM - Testing models and retrieving cloud properties from aircraft observations of cirrus” (ESA-EOPSM-FORM-SOW-3306). Sub-contractor with Imperial College London (UK).
2017-18: Local PI in the ASI (Italian Space Agency) DC-OST-2015-045 (SCIEF - Sviluppo delle Competenze Italiane per l’Esperimento FORUM). Sub-contractor with IFAC-CNR Florence (I).
2017: Local PI (Co- Investigator) for the FORUM project in response of the ESA Earth Explorer Mission EE-9 accepted by ESA for Phase-A competition.
2016-18: Local PI for the ESA Tender AO/1-8236/15/NL/RA (Characterisation of Particulates in the Upper Troposphere / Lower Stratosphere, contract 4000116779). Sub-contractor with Julich Forschungzentrum (D).
2007: Collaborator of the COBRA-ECOWAR project (Italian Ministry of the University and Research, DM n. 287 23 feb. 2005, project # 2005025202): Earth Cooling by water vapour emission.
2006-07: EUMETSAT contract EUM/CO/06/1529/PS (Reference tool for simulation of VIS/NIR spectral radiances) in support of the post EPS mission on Cloud, Precipitation and large scale Land surface imaging.
2006: Collaborator of the TC-ROSES Roses A.9 (NRC 2006)
2001: Collaborator of the project REFIR Radiation Explorer in the Far Infrared funded by ASI Piccole Missioni Scientifiche (PMS-II)
2000-2012: Collaborator of many International projects such as REFIR (EU and ASI funding) and AEROCLOUDS (MIUR-FISR funding).
FIELD CAMPAIGNS AND DATA ANALYSIS
2011-23: Data analysis of the REFIR-PAD interferometer at Dome-Concordia Station (Antartica) within the PRANA and FIRCLOUDS projects
2015-22: Data analysis from the airborne sensors TAFTS (Imperial College London, UK) and ARIES (MetOffice) during the 2015 CIRrus Coupled Cloud-Radiation Experiment (CIR- CCREX) and the PinknMix-F campaign 2019.
2004-10: Participation in the EAQUATE field campaign experiment and data analysis for the understanding of main physical processes concerning clouds and for the calibration/validation of satellite sensors (South of Italy),
2006-09: Data analysis and cal/val in support of the NPOESS and MetOp series of operational satellites during the JAIVEX experiment (Houston, USA).
2008-12: Data analysis for the calibration/validation of satellite sensors during the P-THORPEX (Pacific Ocean) experiment.
2004-10: Data analysis of the M-PACE experiment (Barrow, Alaska, USA).
INSTRUMENTATIONS
Responsible for the following instrumentations:
2025: Pandora 2s (on delivery)
2025: EM27 BRUKER Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (passive configuration for Mid Infrared observations)
CONSULTANCIES
- Consultant for the Italian Space Agency in the bilateral meeting ASI-NOSA (Norwegian Space Agency) in 2025/26
- Consultant for the Italian Space Agency in the Joint Working Group SSA (Saudi Space Agency)-ASI on Greenhouse Gas Monitoring in 2025
- Consultant for the TV Channel Class MSNBC – The Weather Channel (Italy) in 2011.
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE, WORKING-GROUPS and AFFILIATIONS
2024-2028: elected member of the International Radiation Commission (IRC)
2025-present: Member of the International Society for Optics and Photonic (SPIE), of the Società Italiana di Fisica (SIF)
2025-present: International Working Group on Clouds and Precipitation, part of the WMO WG.
2019-present: International Working Group on Radiative Transfer and Surface Properties (ITWG-RTSP) part of the WMO WG.
2018-present: International Clouds Working Group (ICWG) part of WMO WG.
2017-2019-2026: Member of the Associazione Italiana Scienze dell’Atmosfera (AISAM)
2015-2019: Affiliation to IAPS-INAF (Roma) for the definition of the VALSER-VE project for the analysis of VIRTIS data collected on planet Venus and in the development of forward and inverse radiative transfer models applied to JIRAM-Juno mission on Jupiter.
2005-2006: GOES-R3 (Risk Reduction) Algorithm Development Working Group (clouds and radiative transfer), for NOAA/NESDIS GOES-R mission.
INTERNATIONAL HOSTS
2023
- Visiting professor Tristan L’Ecuyer, director of CIMSS, University of Wisconsin-Madison USA (1 week)
- Visiting professor Xianglei Huang of the University of Michigan, USA (1 week)
2017
- Visiting professor Luiz Paolo Assad of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (1 week)
2011
- Visiting professor J. Harries of Imperial College, London, UK (1 month)
2010:
- visiting scientist R. E. Holz of the CIMSS-SSEC Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, (1 month)
2006
- Visiting professor J. Harries of Imperial College, London, UK (3 months)
