Role: ICU Project Manager

Education
University: University of Catania, Italy.
Graduated in physics in 1989

Profession
Staff astronomer at INAF – Catania astrophysical Observatory from 1993.
From 1999 assigned to Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG)

Professional Experience

The main field of research is the study of instrumentation and detectors, focused in astronomical application. The technologic expertise includes electronics, computer science, detectors and development of instrument control system.

In the astronomical area the field of research is in EXO planet search and in astroseismology.

PLATO: Project management in the Instrument Control Unit (ICU), the main electronic Unit acting as interface between the Payload and the Spacecraft.

Main research and activities:

• Detector characterization at Catania astrophysical observatory
• Participation in the development of TNG CCD controller
• Participation in the development of SARG high resolution spectrograph
• Participation in the commissioning of the high resolution spectrograph (SARG) and optical imager (OIG) at TNG.
• Participation in the development of auto guider system at TNG
• Test and development of new detectors and control electronics (CCD, SPAD, CMOS-APS) at Catania astrophysical observatory
• Detectors and CCD controller upgrade at TNG and development of a new instrument control system for SARG and Dolores spectrograph.
• Responsible of SARG, the High resolution spectrograph at the TNG, from the beginning of operations to the decommissioning of the instrument.
• Participation in the development of X-Shooter spectrograph
• Participation of the study of a large robotic telescope (Codevisir)
• Participation in the instrument control system for the European Solar Telescope (EST)

Ongoing research and activities

• Responsible of the Instrument Control Unit of PLATO space observatory (ESA M3 mission in the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme).
• EXO planets search and characterization:
  • Collaboration with the HARPS-N Consortium GTOin the discovery and characterization of terrestrial exoplanets
  • collaboration with GAPS, an Italian national project that investigates several open issues in the field of exoplanetary science by making use of HARPS-N

• Instrument scientist of the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS-N) spectrograph at the TNG telescope.

• Study of a multi-objectlow resolution spectrograph based on Digital Micromirror Device (DMD)

• Responsible of the detector system of the VIS arm of the SOXS spectrograph, a unique spectroscopic facility for the ESO NTT telescope able to cover the optical and NIR bands.
• Collaboration with the INFN in the PANDORA experiment, for what concern the implementation of the SARG spectrograph at INFN and regarding the acquisition system, based on CCD detectors.