Massimo Marengo

Professor
Summary of Research Interests:
Astrophysics
Image of Massimo

Contact Information

Department
Physics
Office Location
Keen 615
Email
mmarengo@fsu.edu
Phone
4-6246

I would not creep along the coast but steer
Out in mid-sea, by guidance of the stars.
--- George Eliot, Middlemarch (1871)

 
ResearcH INTERESTS

I am a stellar astrophysicist: stars are the beacons that guide my scientific endeavors into the vast expanse of the cosmos. I use stars to map the geometry of the universe, and to shed light on the processes shaping other planetary systems like our own.
My research focus has three main directions: the determination of precise distances in the local and far universe using variable stars; the study of stellar populations and stellar properties; and the analysis of extrasolar planetary systems and their asteroid belts. As an observational astronomer, my work is based on data I collect from large space and ground telescopes, including facilities managed by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the European Southern Observatory.

Publications can be found on NASA/ADS

EDUCATION

2000: Ph.D. in Astrophysics, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), Trieste, Italy
1993: Laura cum Laude in Physics, University of Torino, Italy

HONORS AND AWARDS
  • 2022: Iowa State University LAS Award for Outstanding Achievements in Teaching
  • 2016: Iowa State University LAS Dean's Emergent Faculty Leaders Fund
  • 2015: Iowa State University Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research
  • 2004: NASA Group Achievement Award for the Spitzer Space Telescope Payload Team
  • 2003: Smithsonian Institution Certificate of Award for Spitzer/IRAC Support
  • 1997: Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship
  • 1994: International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS) Full Graduate Fellowship
  • 1987: Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) of Pisa Full Undergraduate Fellowship
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
  • NASA SAG-10 (Great Observatories) Galactic Processes and Stellar Evolution co-chair, 2019
  • Iowa State University representative to AURA, 2016-2022
  • Member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), since 2006
  • Member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), since 2000
  • Elected to the American Astronomical Society Nominating Committee, 2013-2015
  • NSF reviewer: AST and Mid-Scale Innovations in Astronomical Sciences programs
  • NASA reviewer: Hubble, SOFIA, Spitzer, Solar System Origins, NPP, NESSF, ADAP programs
  • Referee: The Astrophysical Journal, The Astronomical Journal, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Astronomy & Astrophysics, JAAVSO