Dr Chiara Spiniello

BSc, MSc (Naples); PhD (Groningen)

I did my Bachelor (in Physics) and Master (in Astrophysics and Space Science) studies at the “Federico II” University of Naples, the city where I was born and grew up. In October 2009, I was awarded a Ubbo Emmius scholarship at the Kapteyn Institute in Groningen, the Netherlands, where, after 4 years, I obtained my PhD degree with the “cum laude” distinction, the best possible grade in NL. In 2013 I became a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) in Garching by Munich, Germany. Finally, in 2017, I was awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Astrofit2 Fellowship at the INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Napoli (Naples, IT). Since May 2020, I am a Hintze Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.

My biggest scientific interest is the study of the most massive galaxies in the Universe, with particular focus on their intriguing formation, mass assembly and cosmic evolution. Their role in the currently accepted cosmological model is fundamental as they account for more than half of the total stellar mass in the Universe and are responsible for most of its chemical enrichment.  

I published 30 papers in refereed journals, of which 13 as first author, collecting, in total, more than 1000 citations. In addition, I have also written 14 non-refereed articles, including conference proceeding and research notes. My complete bibliography can be found at: https://sites.google.com/inaf.it/chiara-spiniello/bibliography?authuser=0

I enjoy basketball (as a coach and player), photography and travelling.