Since 2017 I am an associate professor at Parma University, in the area of theoretical physics of matter (fisica teorica della materia, SC 02/B2, SSD FIS/03). I graduated from the LMU Munich in 2000 and was awarded one of the first binational German-Italian Ph.D. degrees from Insubria University (Como) and LMU in 2004. During a project with Prof. Artur Ekert at the University of Oxford in 1997-98 I got in touch with the fundamental questions as well as the immediate applications of quantum mechanics. These interests have guided my research since then. During my Ph.D. I collaborated for the first time with an experimental cold-atom group, which was based at the University of Oxford. After my PostDoc as a Humboldt Fellow at Pisa University in the experimental Bose-Einstein condensation group of Prof. Ennio Arimondo, I held a temporary researcher position at Turin Politecnico and was a Junior Research Group Leader at Heidelberg University as well as a junior fellow (“Kollegiat”) of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. I was awarded visiting professorships from the Abbe School of Photonics at Jena University (2015) and from the Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic & Quantum Technologies, New Zealand (2020). I have been teaching physics classes at all levels in the faculties of physics and engineering, since 2007 in Heidelberg and since 2014 in Parma. I (co-)organized a large school for graduate students twice a year (2008-2014) and a series of research workshops with active participation of students at Heidelberg. From 2014 to 2018 I co-organized the annual conference on Statistical Physics and Complex Systems in Parma. Combining my research interests in classical and quantum dynamics with my main teaching activities, I authored a Springer textbook on Nonlinear Dynamics and Quantum Chaos (Graduate Texts in Physics, 2014). I advised more than 40 students at all career levels and two PostDocs at Pisa, Heidelberg, and Parma. My continuing collaborations with many experimental groups worldwide are well documented by our joint publications. At present, I am particularly interested in quantum control by light-matter interaction and in the non-equilibrium dynamics of many-body quantum systems. Since 2016 I am participating in the interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information Science at Parma University, which concentrates our efforts towards the subject, hosts guests and offers research seminars, workshops and collaborations between physics and information engineering.
Education:
1994 - 2000 Diploma in physics (with distinction), Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Germany
1997 - 1998 Visiting student, University of Oxford, UK, project with Prof. Artur Ekert
2000 - 2004 PhD in physics, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich and Università dell’Insubria, Como, Italy; advisors: Prof. Italo Guarneri, Prof. Andreas Buchleitner; Thesis title: Chaos and localisation: quantum transport in periodically driven atomic systems
Honors and Awards:
1994 - 2000 Fellowships: BayBFG and Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
2004 - 2006 Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Scuola di Dottorato Galileo Galilei, Pisa, Italy
2008 Award for young researchers’ conference, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Heidelberg, Germany
2009 Klaus-Georg and Sigrid Hengstberger Prize, Heidelberg University, Germany
2010 “Akademiepreis“ of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
2010 - 2015 “Kollegiat“ of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
2011 German Habilitation with thesis Dynamik kalter Quantengase at Heidelberg University
2013 Habilitation for Full and Associate Professorships in Italy (section 02/B2)
2014 Association to Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Section Milan-Bicocca
2019 Habilitation for Full Professorship in Italy (sections 02/A2 and 02/B2)
Summary of Profession Activities:
- Published over 115 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 1 Springer textbook, 2 edited books, 3 edited special issues. Total ca. 3000 (2000) citations, h-index: 34 (27), according to Google Scholar (WOS/Scopus).
- Gave more than 100 invited talks at conferences, workshops, research institutes and universities.
- Regular teaching at Heidelberg University and Parma University; guest lecturer at many Graduate Schools.
- Collaborated with more than 30 senior scientists from over 15 countries. Mentored 44 undergraduate and graduate students and 2 postdoctoral scholars in research.
- Awarded more than 1 M€ in national and international research grants and fellowships.
Research Topics:
- Quantum optics: light-matter interaction and atoms in external fields
- Open quantum systems
- Quantum & classical control theory
- Bloch-Floquet engineering and theory
- Quantum many-body dynamics
- Quantum search & quantum error-correction protocols
Scientific Employment:
2000 - 2004 PhD student and PostDoc at MPI-PKS, Dresden, Germany
2004 - 2006 A.v. Humboldt Feodor-Lynen Fellow at Pisa University, Italy, with Prof. Ennio Arimondo
2006 - 2007 Research scientist at Politecnico di Torino, Italy
2007 - 2013 Research group leader at Heidelberg University, Germany
2014 - 2016 Senior researcher at Parma University, Italy
2017 - Associate professor at Parma University, Italy
Selected Scientific Invitations:
11/1999 - 1/2000 Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, with Prof. Uzy Smilansky
2006, 2008, 2012 Palermo University, Italy, with Prof. Rosario Mantegna
11/2007, 9-10/2013 Pisa University, Italy, with Prof.s Ennio Arimondo and Riccardo Mannella
10-11/2010 University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan, with Prof. Ken‘ishi Nakagawa
9/2011 Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA, with Prof. Gil Summy
2011, 2012, 2016 Liège University, Belgium, with Prof. Peter Schlagheck
2014 - 2017 Guest scientist at the ITP, Heidelberg University, Germany
2014, 2017, 2018 Freiburg University, Germany, with Prof. Andreas Buchleitner
10/2014, 10/2019 Guest lecturer at the doctorate school HGSFP, Heidelberg University, Germany
2/2015 Guest professorship at the Abbe School of Photonics, Jena University, Germany
3/2016 Calí University, Colombia, with Prof. Javier Madroñero
10/2016, 2/2018 RIEC, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, with Prof. Mark Sadgrove
2/2020 Visiting professor, Dodd Walls Centre for Photonic & Quantum Techn., New Zealand
Academic Management:
- Editorial-Board: Cond. Matt.; Photonics; Fluct. & Noise Lett.; Rev. Phys.; 4Open; Adv. in Math. Phys.
- Guest editor of Condensed Matter, European Physical Journal D & of a conference proceedings book
- Peer reviewer for over 30 international scientific journals and publishers (incl. Springer Nature, Physical Review, Cambridge University Press); Outstanding Referee of APS, Physica A, Phys. Lett. A, NJP
- Referee for research funding agencies from Austria (FWF), Belgium (FWO Flanders), EU, France (ANR), Germany, Italy (FARE), New Zealand, Poland (NSC)
- Member of PhD committees in Heidelberg, Milan, Palermo, Parma and of selection committees for PhD (2015), PostDocs (assegno di ricerca, 2016, 2019), Researcher (RTD A, 2019/20) positions at Parma
2007 - 2014 Co-organizer of the semiannual school Heidelberg Physics Graduate Days
2008 - 2012 Consultant for industrial company, Selex-Galileo, Turin, Italy
2010 Organizer of conferences New Perspectives in Quantum Statistics and Correlations & Hybrid Quantum Systems: New Perspectives on Quantum State Control, Heidelberg, Germany
2012 Organizer of workshop on Noisy many-body systems, Heidelberg, Germany
2014 - Member of PhD commission (“collegio docenti“) for physics at Parma University
2014 - 2018 Co-organizer of annual conference Statistical Physics and Complex Systems, Parma, Italy
2016 - Program committee member for annual conference Complexis
2018 - Representative of disadvantaged groups at Department, Parma University
2022 Organizer of workshop on Quantum Transport with Ultracold Atoms, MPIPKS Dresden
Selection of acquired external funding:
- FAult Tolerant MOLecular Spin processor (FATMOLS, proposal ID 862893), EU action RIA H2020-FETOPEN-2018-2020, member of Parma node (PI Prof. Stefano Carretta), 3/2020-2/2023 (256 k€)
- Associate to the research programs BIOPHYS (2014-2020) and DYNSYSMATH (2020 - ), Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Section Milan-Bicocca, Parma group, 2014 - (varying funds for travel and hardware)
- Individual Research Grant by the German Research Foundation (DFG) on Many-body Quantum Transport with Ultracold Bosons, 2014-2018 (160 k€, ex-PI, in collaboration with Prof. Andreas Buchleitner, Universität Freiburg, Germany)
- Member of the COST action MP1209 (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) on Quantum Thermodynamics, 2014-2017
- Helmholtz Alliance Cosmic Matter in the Laboratory - ExtreMe Matter Institute (EMMI), 2008-2014 (30 k€, part of Heidelberg theory node)
- Forschergruppe 760 Scattering Systems with Complex Dynamics of the German Research Foundation (DFG); experimental and theoretical project Semiclassical Limit for Bose-Einstein Condensate Dynamics, 2010-2013 (120 k€, PI)
- Industry collaboration with Selex-Galileo (Turin, Italy) on Light-matter interaction, 2008-2012 (30 k€, consultant)
- Award by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities for the organisation of a scientic conference on New Perspectives in Quantum Statistics and Correlations, 1-5 March 2010 (ca. 15 k€, organiser)
- Feodor-Lynen Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, 2004-2006 (ca. 44 k€)
