Massimo Capaccioli

Curriculum Vitae et Studiorum

(March 2018)

Professional address: Physics Dept., Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, Naples University Federico II, via Cinthia, 80100 Naples, Italy

                    mobile:       +39 335 6776940 

                    email:   [email protected]

Place and Date of Birth:  Castel del Piano (Grosseto, Italy), April 19, 1944

University Degree: 1969, “laurea” in physics (summa cum laude) at the University of Padua

Present Position:  Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of sciences of the University of Naples Federico II

Previous Positions:

1969 - 1976      Assistant professor at the University of Padua

1972 - 1976      Lecturer of rational mechanics and cosmology at the University of Lecce and of general physics and mathematical analysis at the University of Architecture of Venice

1976 - 1980      Tenured lecturer of celestial mechanics at the Padua University  

1980 - 1986      Associate professor of celestial mechanics at the Padua University

1986 - 1990      “Astronomo ordinario” at the Padua Astronomical Observatory

1990 - 1995      Full professor of celestial mechanics at the Padua University

1993 - 2005      Director of the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory (Naples), now of the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF)

1995 - 2015      Full professor of astronomy at the Naples University Federico II

2005 - 2010      Director of the INAF-VST Center at Naples

2010 - 2013      Director of the Mediterranean Center for Advanced Studies (Mecenas)

2014 -              Set in pension by the University of Naples Federico II (November 1, 2014)

2015 -              Emeritus professor of the Naples University Federico II

Other Appointments:

1976 - 1982      President of the Working group on galaxy photometry and spectrophotometry of IAU Commission 28

1978 - 1979      Member of the working group for the Faint Object Camera of the European Space Agency (ESA)

1978 - 1978      Member of the commission of the National Council of Researches (CNR) for the Italian participation to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and co-author of the Italian proposal for the HST software and for the realization of the European Coordinating Facility

1979 - 1980      President of the board of astronomy professors (“corso di laurea”) at the Padua University

1980 - 1981      Member of the IAU Working group on Software Coordination in Astronomy

1985 - 1986      Professor at the department of astronomy of the University of Texas in Austin and organizer of the extragalactic seminars together with G. de Vaucouleurs

1985 - 1985      Italian P.I. of the joint program on Methodologies and applications of photometry and spectroscopy of galaxies between the Institute of astronomy of the Padua University and the Zentralinstitut für Astrophysik of DDR, agreed between CNR and the DDR Academy of Sciences

1986 - 1986      Member of the Visiting Committee of the Nancay Radiotelescope

1987 - 1987      Member of the CNR national commission for the planning of the astronomical research development in Italy (P.I. of the subgroup for Imaging)

1987 - 1994      Member of the Council for the Astronomical Research (CRA), advisory board for the Ministry of University and Research (MIUR)

1987 - 1992      Italian representative in the Time Allocation Committee of the European Southern Observatory (ESO)

1989 - 1992      Co-P.I. of the ESO Key-Program Towards a physical classification of galaxies

1989 – 1991     Chairman of the Time Allocation Committee of the Asiago Astrophysical Observatory

1990 - 1994      Member of the organizing committee of the Astronomy Doctorate National School

1990 - 1993      President of the Board of professors of astronomy at the University of Padua

1991 - 2001      President of the Italian Astronomical Society

1993 - 1994      President of the Permanent Cosmology Seminar of the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies, Naples

1994 - 1996      Chairman of the Time Allocation Committee of the TIRGO IR telescope

1996 - 2007      Lecturer of history of science at the Faculty of humanities of the Second University of Naples

1997 - 2008     Vice-president and then President of the Academy of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the National Society of Sciences, Humanities, and Arts in Naples

1998 - 2006     Member of the scientific committee of the Italian Center of Aerospace Researches (CIRA)

2000 - 2002     General President of the National Society of Sciences, Humanities, and Arts in Naples

2004 - 2005     Member of the administration board and president of the scientific board of the “Osservato­rio di Castelgrande” foundation

2004 - 2011     Scientific consultant and programs’ performer for the Educational Department of the Italian National Television (RAI)

2007 - 2011      Member of the Evaluation committee of the National Council of Researches

2011 - 2015      Member of the Board of trustees of the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF)

2017 -              Member of the scientific committee of the Arnold-Regge Center for theoretical physics (Turin)

Principal Scientific Interests:

Structure, dynamics and evolution of stellar systems, cosmic distance scale, observational cosmology, ground and space-based astronomical instrumentation. Results are published in over 540 papers in international journals and proceedings of international meetings (total citations 9480, H-index 53: source ADS, March 2018).

The main contributions concern the cosmic distance scale, the discovery of the dynamical properties of spheroidal galaxies and of their photometric and structural properties, the studies on the UV spectrum of elliptical galaxies and on the dark matter content of galaxies.

Besides the editing of some proceedings of international meetings and the participation in some collective books, he is the author of several popular articles, books on science and history of science, and lecture notes (in electronic form too).

He has been the P.I. of several successful proposals for the major astrophysical ground- and space-based facilities and of some projects, which have secured over 15 million Euros in 10 years.

Publicist since 2005, he has collaborated on a regular basis with the newspapers Il Messaggero, Il Corriere del Mezzogiorno, and Il Mattino (where he has now a fortnightly column entitled Mille1Notte). Among his interests, there are the history of sciences (in particular astronomy) and epistemology.

Managerial Activity:

When director of the Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory, he has promoted the scientific and technological development of his Institute. He has built the Observatory at the Toppo di Castelgrande (Potenza, Italy), first and so-far unique observational facility of continental Southern Italy.

He has conceived and managed as P.I. (and as P.M. for three years) the realization, jointly with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the OmegaCam Consortium, of the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) facility, the largest of its category in the world, which is operational since 2011 at the Cerro Paranal, Chile.

He has conceived and directed several programs of national interest (COFIN MIUR) and the project Mecenas (Mediterranean Center for Advanced Studies), financed by the Banco di San Paolo, jointly with the Universities of Naples and Bari.

He served in the Scientific Committee of the Italian Center for Aerospace (CIRA) and in the Evaluation Committee of the National Council for Research (CNR).

Teaching Activity:

Supervisor of over 50 “laurea” level dissertations and of two dozen PhD level dissertations in physics in Italy and of some abroad (Paris Astrophysical Institute, Munich-MPE, University of Texas, University of Toulou­se, University of Cairo, and SISSA at Trieste).

Quite a few of his students are well known researchers spread over the world, and some of them have always reached the top of the career. He has also supervised over 10 dissertations in History of Science at the Second University of Naples.

He has promoted the birth of the master degree on “Astrophysics and Space Sciences” at his University of Naples.

He is one the promoters and editors of the collection of university books “Napoli Series on Physics and Astrophysics” published by Bibliopolis.

Public Outreach:

Several hundreds of popular conferences for a generic public (in Italy and abroad) and lectures in specialization schools. Author of articles in the local and national newspapers and of books of popularization of the science. Always interested in the popularization of the sciences among the Mediterranean countries, he has conceived and realized an Arab version of the Giornale di Astronomia, published for about 10 years by the Italian Astronomical Society and distributed freely in 8 Arabic countries.

Present Membership in Committees and Professional Organizations:

Member of the International Astronomical Union

Member of the Academy of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the National Society of Sciences, Humanities and Arts in Naples 

Member of the Pontaniana Academy, Naples

Member of the Venetian Institute of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, Venice

Member of the Academia Europaea

Emeritus member of the Italian Astronomical Society

President of the Trustees Committee for the Law 13 of the Campania Region

Honors:

2017    Honorary professorship awarded by the Karazin National University of Kharkiv (Ukraine)

2015    Honorary professorship awarded by the University of Dubna (Russia)

2013    Prize of the Italian Physical Society (SIF) for the divulgation of science (Trieste)

2013    Tacchini Medal of the Italian Astronomical Society to the career (Bologna)

2012    Vinarius award for the research activity (Grosseto)

2011    Sele prize for the essay writing (Oliveto Citra, Salerno)

2011    Poerio-Imbriani prize for the civil commitment (Naples)

2011    Honorary citizenship of Castel del Piano (the municipality ruling the village where MC was born)

2010    Oltre l’Orizzonte prize to the career (Naples), assigned by the Associazione ex Allievi del Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella

2010    Honorary professorship awarded by the Moscow State University Lomonosov (Russia)

2010    Struve Medal awarded by the Pulkovo Observatory (San Petersburg) of the Russian Academy of Sciences

2010    Pietro Rutelli prize to the career (Naples)

2006    Domenico Rea prize for having conceived the VST (Ischia, Naples)

2005    “Commendatore” of the Italian Republic, Italian title awarded by the President of the Italian Republic for major academic achievements

2005   Capo d’Orlando prize to the career, together with the Nobel laureate Riccardo Giacconi (Vico Equense, Naples)

2004   Grande Vomero. Napoli in ... collina prize for civil service activities (Naples)

2004    Re Manfredi prize to the career (Manfredonia, Foggia)

2003    Medal of the Union of the Italian Aerospace Journalists for the communication activity (UGAI)

2002    Fondazione Cortese prize for the promotion the VST project (Naples)

1999    G. Bruno prize to the career (Sessa Aurunca, Caserta)

1999    San Camillo prize to the career (Naples)

1998    Saracino d’Oro prize to the career (Vico Equense, Naples)

1997    Paul Harris Medal of the Rotary Club for the divulgation of the scientific knowledge (Naples)

1997    Città di Sorrento prize to the career (Sorrento, Naples)

1994    Giuseppe Piazzi prize to the career (Palermo)

1973    Prize of the Interdisciplinary Center of Mathematics and their Applications of the National Lincei Academy