Roberto Maiolino
Roberto Maiolino is Professor of Experimental Astrophysics at the Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory) and at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, and Honorary Professor at University College London.
He studies the formation galaxies and black holes using some of the largest ground-based and space telescopes. He has been playing a leading role in several projects, including the James Webb Space Telescope, the MOONS spectrograph for the Very Large Telescope, and the ANDES spectrograph for the Extremely Large Telescope.
Note: this is Roberto Maiolino's academic webpage, if you are looking for his novel Stars and Waves, please visit its dedicated website: www.starsandwaves.net
Science highlights
Roberto Maiolino has published over 570 papers on peer reviewed journals spanning a broad range of topics in multiple areas related to the formation and evolution of galaxies and black holes. The following are some of his research highlights:
Discovery of a large, new population of massibe black holes in the early Universe with JWST - implications for black holes seeding, early black hole growth and black holes merging (e.g. Maiolino+24a; Maiolino24b; Maiolino+24c; Juodzvbalis, Maiolino+24; Übler, Maiolino+23; Übler, Maiolino+24; Scholtz, Maiolino+24)
Characterization of the early chemical enrichment in galaxies and search for PopIII signatures (e.g. Maiolino+2008; Maiolino & Mannucci 2019; Maiolino+24d; Curti, Maiolino+24; Nakajima & Maiolino 2022; Curti, Maiolino+20; Ji, Übler, Maiolino+24),
Discovery of quasar-driven cold outflows and their role in galaxy evolution and transformation (e.g. Feruglio, Maiolino+10; Maiolino+12; Cicone, Maiolino+14; Fluetsch, Maiolino+19; Fluetsch, Maiolino+21; Veilleux, Maiolino+20; Bischetti, Maiolino+19)
Discovery of star formation inside galactic outflows (Maiolino+17; Gallagher, Maiolino+19)
Identification of starvation and black hole feedback as a primary mechanism for quenching star formation in galaxies (e.g. Peng, Maiolino+15; Trussler, Maiolino+20; Bluck, Maiolino+20a; Bluck, Maiolino+20b)
Discovery the large population of heavily obscured AGN in the X-rays and the X-ray absorption by nuclear clouds (e.g. Maiolino+98; Risaliti, Maiolino, Salvati 1999; Maiolino+2010)
First detection of the fine structure transition [CII]158um at high redshift and its use as submm primary tool to characterize distant galaxies (e.g. Maiolino+05; Maiolino+07; Maiolino+15)
Discovery of a supernova origin of dust in the early Universe, and determination of the properties of dust in the circumnuclear region of black holes (e.g Maiolino+04; Gallerani, Maiolino+10; Maiolino+01a; Maiolino+01b)
First spectroscopic confirmations of infrared-discovered supernovae (e.g. Maiolino+02; Mannucci, Maiolino+03)
Extensions of the Unified Model of Active Galactic Nuclei (e.g. Maiolino & Rieke 1995; Maiolino+1995; Maiolino+96; Maiolino+98a; Maiolino+98b; Risaliti, Maiolino & Salvati 1999; Maiolino+10)
Academic Appointments
2024- Blaauw Honorary Professor at the University of Groningen
2021- Royal Society Research Professor
2019 - present: Honorary Professor at University College London
2016 - 2021: Director, Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge
2012 - present: Professor in Experimental Astrophysics, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge
2006 - 2012 Senior Astronomer, Astronomical Observatory of Rome
2003 - 2006: Senior Astronomer, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory
1997 - 2003: Astronomer, Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory (Firenze, Italy)
1995 - 1997: Postdoctoral Fellow, Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (Garching, Germany)
Awards & Honors
(extract - please see full list in the extended CV)
2024: Blaauw Honorary Professorship at the University of Groningen
2022: Elected Fellow of the Royal Society
2019: Honorary Professor at University College London
2018: Knighted by the Italian President in the Order of the Star of Italy
Projects
Roberto Maiolino has had a leading role in multiple cutting-edge projects. The following is a short summary (please visit his CV for a more comprehensive list):
2024- : Co-PI of the BlackTHUNDER JWST Cycle 3 Large Programme
2023 - : Co-PI of the JADES Origins Field JWST Cycle 2 Large Programme
2021 - : JWST-NIRSpec: coordinator of the Multi-Object GTO survey
2017 - : JWST-NIRSpec: co-lead of the IFS GTO survey
2016 - : Project Scientist of ANDES (High Resolution Spectrometer for the Extremely Large Telescope)
2016 - : Co-PI of the ESO Large Programme "KLEVER"
2011 - present: Project Scientist and Co-PI of MOONS (next generation multi-object spectrograph for the Very Large Telescope)
2013 - 2016: UK Co-PI of HIRES (now ANDES)
2008 - : PI of the ESO Large Programme "AMAZE"
2004 -: JWST-NIRSpec Instrument Science Team