Biography
I grew up and studied physics in Italy, completing my Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of Bari before moving to Switzerland for my Ph.D. at the University of Zürich. I then joined UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a postdoctoral fellow, where I was also a member of the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics. I moved to the Institute for Advanced Study in 2025.
My research is driven by problems that point to gaps in our understanding of the fundamental laws of Nature: the origin of particle masses and flavor, the strong CP problem, dark matter, the hierarchy problem, and the role that symmetries and other organizing principles may play in a more fundamental description of physics. I am particularly interested in ideas that connect seemingly different puzzles and, whenever possible, turn them into concrete experimental or observational tests.
Beyond physics, I am deeply interested in ancient history and cultures, and I am an avid reader of Greek and Latin literature. I am fascinated by how ideas and civilizations develop, interact, and shape the way we understand the world. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, wildlife photography, climbing, and surfing.