Invited talks and reviews (2004 – present)

First National Workshop on Fast Radio Bursts FRB-Italy, solicited talk on “The hosts of Fast Radio Bursts”,  Bologna, 7-9 May 2025

Small telescopes for science communication: Some personal experiences, review talk at 6th Chianti Topics – International Focus Workshop “Use of small telescopes in the giant era II“, Florence (Italy), 26-29 February 2024

Science and Technology for a Sustainable and Resilient Future, Panel Discussion on "Hydrogen for a resilient and decarbonised society", celebration of the CNR 100 years, University of Calabria, Rende (Italy), 10 October 2023Hydrogen in the Universe, invited talk for the conference "Science and Technology for a Sustainable and Resilient Future" celebration of the CNR 100 years, University of Calabria, Rende (Italy), 10 October 2023University of Calabria & astrophysics research in the largest campus of South Italy, invited talk at the conference on “AGN on the beach”, Tropea (Italy), 11-15 September 2023Panelist at the parallel session The ESA Space Science Archives, at the virtual conference European Astronomical Society, Leiden, June-July 2021Panelist of one discussion session of the online workshop: “20th anniversary of science exploration with UVES”, organised by European Southern Observatory, October 2020Gamma-Ray Burst Host Galaxies, Review Talk at the Special Session “GRBs, energetic SNe & compact object mergers: the extreme physics of stellar death from low to high redshift”, for the conference “European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS)”, Lyon (France), June 2019Host Galaxies & Environment: State of the art and outlook, summary talk at the IV National Conference on Gamma-ray Burst, Bergamo (Italy), November 2016Galaxies as seen through the most energetic explosions in the universe,  invited talk at conference on "Swift: 10 Years of Discovery", Rome, December 2014Cold and warm ISM in galaxies hosting gamma-ray bursts, invited talk at IAP Workshop on “Galaxies in Absorption”, Paris, September 2014The host galaxies of long Gamma-Ray Bursts, invited talk at the symposium ’Deaths of massive stars as supernovae and gamma-ray bursts’ for the conference “European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS)”, Turku (Finland), July 2013GRB Host Galaxies, invited talk at the symposium “15 years of Gamma-Ray Bursts afterglows: progenitors, environments and host galaxies from the nearby to the early Universe”, Marbella (Spain), October 2012GRB Host Galaxies, invited review at the Marcel Grossman XIII Meeting on General Relativity, Stockholm, July 2012Properties of Galaxies Hosting Gamma-Ray Bursts, invited review at the conference “Gamma-Ray Bursts: Probing the Science, Progenitors and their Environment”, Moscow, June 2012Metallicity in GRB hosts, invited talk at the Workshop “Metals in Tuscany 2012: Galaxy metallicity through Cosmic Times”, Abbazia di Spineto (Italy), June 2012GRB hosts, highlight speaker at the “Annual Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft 2011”, Heidelberg (Germany), September 2011First GRBs, invited review at the “CosmoFirstObjects: International meeting on Cosmology beyond Redshift z ~ 3”, Marseille, May 2011The Environment of Gamma-Ray Bursts, invited talk at the Annual IAP Workshop on “Progenitors and environments of stellar explosions”, Paris, June 2010The Nature of Galaxies Hosting Gamma-Ray Bursts, invited review at May Symposium on “Stellar Populations in the Cosmological Context”, Baltimore (USA), May 2010The Galaxy Population Hosting Gamma-Ray Bursts, invited talk at conference “The Shocking Universe: Gamma-Ray Bursts Science in the Agile, Glast & Swift Era”, Venice (Italy), September 2009The Cosmic Chemical Evolution Revealed by the Brightest Events in the Universe, invited review at the IAU Symposium 265 “Chemical Abundances in the Universe - Connecting First Stars to Planets”, XXVII General Assembly, Rio de Janeiro, August 2009Gamma-Ray Bursts are Tracers of the Remote Universe, invited review at the XXIV IAP Colloquium on “Far Away: Light in the Young Universe at Redshift beyond Three”, Paris, July 2008Low-mass and metal-poor GRB host galaxies, invited talk at the IAU 255 Symposium on “Low metallicity star formation: from the first stars to dwarf galaxies”, Rapallo (Italy), June 2008Spectroscopic Diagnosis of GRB Hosts, invited review at the conference on “070228: The Next Decade of GRB Afterglows”, Amsterdam (The Netherlands), March 2007Starforming, Low Stellar Mass, & Metal Poor Galaxies at High Redshift, invited talk at the conference on “Metallicity Calibration for Gaseous Nebulae”, Manoa, Hawaii (USA), January 2007Host Galaxies Environment and Circumburst Medium of GRB Afterglows, invited talk at the conference on “Black Holes: Power Behind the Scene”, Kathmandu (Nepal), October 2006The Gemini Deep Deep Survey and the properties of galaxies in the redshift desert, invited talk at the First Conference on “Gemini Science Results”, Vancouver (Canada), May 2004

Invited seminars

Popular events

• Interview with Roberto Battiston, author of the popular science book “L’Alfabeto della Natura”, candidate for the Cosmos Studenti Award, May 2023
• A Night at the Telescope with Antonino Brosio, April 2023
• TEDx Cosenza (Italy): “Hydrogen: How the smallest atom lights up the Universe”, January 2023
• “Galileo: and the Science Deniers“, online event at the Rome Science Festival with the best-seller popular science author Mario Livio, November 2021
• National Geographic Science Festival: Day of Italian Research in the World, Rome, event online, April 2021
• “Past, Present, Future of Astronomy in Calabria“, TEDx “Out of Focus”, Cosenza (Italy), September 2019
• “The Extraordinary Adventure of Space”, Cicap Fest 2019, Padova, September 2019
• “Ecco la mia vita a studiare lo spazio“, with Andrea Gentile at the Wired Next Fest 2019, Milan (Italy), May 2019
• “Da Matera all’Universo e ritorno, un viaggio da vertigine tra galassie e frattali“, Materadio 2018, Globale-Locale, with Rossella Panarese and Sandra Lucente, Matera (Italy), September 2018
• Supernovae: Creation and destruction, the two sides of Comic Explosions, Tropea Festival Reading & Writing, Vibo Valentia (Italy), October 2017
• Women & Science, with Maria Cristina Pedicchio, presented by Eliana Liotta, Trieste Next, Trieste, September 2017
• Supernovae: Creation and destruction, the two sides of Comic Explosions, National Geographic Science Festival, Rome, May 2017
• “Le stelle fisse e la fissa delle stelle: due astrofisiche a confronto”,  Time of books,  Milan, April 2017
• Cosmic explosions: supernovae & gamma-ray bursts, Messina (Italy), February 2017
• “Research: Predictions for the Future“, Festival of Generations: “Beyond Frontiers: Generations and Cultures“, Florence, October 2016
• Comets, asteroids and meteors, the fascinating world of what gives life and destruction, for the series “Fridays of the Universe“, Ferrara (Italy), March 2016
• XOff Lecce (Italy), October 2014, closing talk of the 4-days event, title: “The Future”
• Cosmic Explosions, keynote speaker at the Wired Next Fest, Milan (Italy), May 2014
•  TEDx Lecce (Italy): “Courage”, October 2013
• The Future of the Universe, Lectio Magistralis at the Science Festival, Genoa (Italy), November 2009
• Why Brain Drain in Italian Research, invited talk at the workshop “Youth, Renewable Energy”, session on Science and Technology, organized by the Italian Minister of Youth Politics and Sports Giovanna Melandri, Riva del Garda (Italy), October 2007
• The Infinite Cosmos, invited talk at the Science Festival, Genoa (Italy), October 2007
• European scientists in the US: lessons learnt, invited talk at the National University Seminar “8 proposals on University research and teaching”, La Sapienza University, Rome (Italy), December 2004