I am an observational astronomer working at
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
in Tenerife. The goal of my research is exploiting the great potential of Local Group galaxies to study galaxy formation and evolution. For these nearby systems, it is possible to combine well established stellar evolution and stellar atmospheres theory with photometry and spectroscopy of resolved stars, to derive their star formation histories and chemo-dynamical properties. These measurements can then put stringent constraints to physical models of their formation and evolution.
My main expertise and contributions are within the field of star formation history derivation using color-magnitude diagram fitting, first applied to Local Group dwarf galaxies using both ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope data. Since 2019 I am exploting data from the ESA satellite Gaia to study the evolutionary history of the Milky Way.
I focus on a multidisciplinary approach for an in-depth understanding of Local Group galaxies. I thus contributed to create a multidisciplinary team at the IAC, to study "The Local Group in Multi-Dimensions" , of which I am the founder and senior member. It hosts experts on stellar spectroscopy for dynamical modelling and chemical evolution studies, and on variable stars as tracers of stellar populations in galaxies. We also have close collaborations with stellar and galaxy evolution modellers: the "BaSTI-IAC" team and the " Numerical Astrophysics: Galaxy Formation and Evolution " team at IAC.
My current main project, ChronoGal , leverages the expertise and collaborations accumulated over my career to study the Milky Way, the Local Group galaxy that we can comprehend in the greatest possible detail, using my envisioned multifaceted approach.
- 7/2020 - current Research Professor, IAC, Spain
- 12/2017 - 6/2020 Researcher, IAC, Spain
- 4/2006 - 11/2017 Scientist, IAC, Spain
- 1/2002 - 4/2006 Ramón y Cajal Postdoctoral Fellow, IAC, Spain
- 1/1999 - 12/2001 Fundación Andes Prize Fellow, Yale U.-U. de Chile
- 3/1996 - 12/1998 Postdoc Carnegie Observatories, USA
- 9/1995 - 12/1995 Visiting Scientist, U. di Padova
- 10/1991 - 9/1999 Astrofísica Residente, IAC, Spain