Ilaria Fornasiero
Scientific Researcher
Bologna,BO
Summary
Dynamic and driven PhD student at the University School of Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, specializing in Astrophysics and Cosmology. Solid academic foundation includes a Master’s degree from the University of Bologna and a Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy. Proven expertise in analytical, statistical and programming skills, particularly in Python and Fortran, applied to the analysis of extensive datasets from various telescopes. Recently published a scientific article in Astronomy & Astrophysics, demonstrating a strong commitment to research and collaboration. Currently enhancing skills through Coursera certifications in SQL, Python, Excel and data visualization tools such as Looker and Tableau, with the aim of contributing effectively to innovative projects in data analysis.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
3
3
Certifications
3
3
Languages
Work History
PhD student
University School of Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia and University of Trento
11.2024 - Current
- During the last year, I analyzed multi-telescope datasets using astrophysical software and Python (NumPy, Matplotlib, Pandas) within Jupyter Notebook. My work involves statistical analysis, data cleaning and visualization to extract meaningful results, supported by tools such as DS9 for multi-view image inspection.
Inventory coordinator
RGIS
10.2022 - 02.2023
- Worked as an Inventory Controller at RGIS, collecting and verifying large data volumes in supermarkets and department stores. Developed strong attention to detail, problem-solving skills and the ability to organize work autonomously to meet deadlines.
Internship student
Specola Museum
03.2021 - 08.2021
- Bachelor internship at the Specola Museum in Bologna, Italy. Worked in a team to support the reorganization of the museum and the implementation of outreach initiatives, including guided tours for children and adults on specific astronomical topics. Faced the challenge of translating complex technical and scientific concepts into clear explanations for non-technical audiences, which strengthened my communication and storytelling skills.
Education
Master degree - Astrophysics and Cosmology
03.2024
- Website: https://corsi.unibo.it/2cycle/Astrophysics
- Field(s) of study: Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- Thesis: Investigating AGN feedback in Hα-luminous galaxy clusters: the first Chandra X-ray Analysis of Abell 2009
- GPA: 4.0
Bachelor degree - Astronomy
12.2021
- Website: https://corsi.unibo.it/laurea/Astronomia
- Field(s) of study: Natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- Thesis: Scattering processes in Astrophysics
- GPA: 4.0
High School Diploma - scientific with italian-english option
07.2018
Skills
Certification
Introduction to Data Analytics: Gained a solid understanding of data analytics concepts and processes, including the key steps of data collection, wrangling, mining and visualization. Learned to differentiate between various data roles (Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Business Analyst) and their responsibilities. Acquired knowledge of data structures, file formats and data sources, building a strong foundation for analytical workflows and data-driven decision-making. Mode of learning: Online
Publications
- [2025-03] Investigating AGN feedback in Hα-luminous galaxy clusters: First Chandra X-ray analysis of Abell 2009, Authors: Fornasiero, I. ; Ubertosi, F. ; Gitti, M., Journal Name: Astronomy & Astrophysics Volume, Issue and Pages: Volume 695, id.A265, 15 pp.
Accomplishments
- [ 2025-06-10 – 2025-10-10 ] Advanced School of Computer Graphics and AI for Cultural Heritage and Science Participation in an intensive 5-day school on data visualization and 3D applications for science and cultural heritage in Palermo (Italy). Gained hands-on experience in Blender (modelling, shading, texturing, animation), AI tools, VR/AR and web3D, learning innovative methods to transform complex datasets into clear visual narratives and to integrate virtual reconstructions into interactive systems. This provided me with an additional analytical and visualization approach for scientific data.
- [ 2025-03-24 – 2025-03-28 ] Celebrating 20 years of Swift Discoveries Participation in the international conference “Celebrating 20 Years of Swift Discoveries” held in Florence (Italy) and focused on time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics. This experience allowed me to gain insights into different scientific areas beyond my main field of research and to interact with an international community of experts, broadening my scientific perspective and interdisciplinary understanding.
- [ 2024-05-06 – 2024-05-10 ] SPARCS XII: Pushing Toward the Final Frontier Participation in the “SKA Pathfinder Radio Continuum Survey (SPARCS) Meeting” held in Bologna (Italy) and focused on the latest developments in calibration, imaging and source finding in radio astronomy. The conference offered a broad overview of diverse scientific applications and allowed me to engage with an international community working towards the upcoming SKA era.
Timeline
Introduction to Data Analytics: Gained a solid understanding of data analytics concepts and processes, including the key steps of data collection, wrangling, mining and visualization. Learned to differentiate between various data roles (Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Business Analyst) and their responsibilities. Acquired knowledge of data structures, file formats and data sources, building a strong foundation for analytical workflows and data-driven decision-making. Mode of learning: Online
10-2025
Analyzing and Visualizing Data in Looker: Developed strong skills in data analysis and visualization using Looker, including the use of dimensions, measures, filters and pivots to explore datasets. Gained experience in creating advanced metrics with table calculations, building interactive dashboards and visualizations and sharing analytical content to support data-driven decision-making. Mode of learning: Online
09-2025
SQL for Data Science: Acquired solid SQL skills, including filtering, sorting and summarizing data, identifying and extracting specific subsets of information and combining multiple queries using the UNION operator. Gained experience in manipulating strings, dates and numeric data to integrate information from different sources and ensure correct formatting for analysis. Mode of learning: Online
09-2025
PhD student - University School of Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia and University of Trento
11.2024 - Current
Inventory coordinator - RGIS
10.2022 - 02.2023
Internship student - Specola Museum
03.2021 - 08.2021
Liceo Luigi Galvani - High School Diploma, scientific with italian-english option
Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna - Master degree, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna - Bachelor degree, Astronomy