Manuela Campanelli

Dr. Manuela Campanelli is a Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics and John Vouros Endowed Professor at RIT, directing the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation (CCRG). Her research focuses on numerical relativity, black hole mergers, and gravitational wave astronomy, with landmark contributions including the first successful binary black hole simulations (2005) and discoveries of supermassive black hole recoils (2007). She leads projects modeling binary neutron stars and supermassive black hole binaries' electromagnetic emissions, contributing to LIGO collaborations.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Physics, University of Bern (Switzerland)

Research Interests: Her work combines computational astrophysics with relativistic phenomena, emphasizing gravitational waves and multi-messenger signals. Recent projects explore accretion disk dynamics around merging black holes and magnetohydrodynamics simulations of relativistic jets.

Professional Highlights:

• Recipient of Marie Curie Fellowship (1998)
• Fellow of the APS (2009) and ISGR (2019)
• Recipient of the Richard Isaacson Award (2024)
• Mentioned in Kip Thorne's 2017 Nobel Lecture

Grants & Funding: Leads NSF-funded projects totaling over $2M, including studies on supermassive black hole mergers and neutron star dynamics. Collaborates on computing infrastructure for multi-messenger astrophysics.

Labs & Teams: Directs CCRG, a hub for computational relativity and gravitation research, and participates in the Astrophysics and Space Sciences Institute for Research Excellence (ASPIRE).