Riccardo Penco

Riccardo Penco is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, within the Mellon College of Science. His research spans cosmology, astrophysics, and condensed matter physics, utilizing quantum field theory and effective field theory (EFT) to connect diverse phenomena such as inflation, dark matter, black hole dynamics, and collective excitations in solids.

Education:

• Ph.D., Syracuse University (2012)
• Laurea Specialistica, University of Trieste, Theoretical Physics (2006)
• Laurea, University of Trieste, Physics (2003)

His work focuses on symmetry realization in finite-density systems, including EFT descriptions of black hole tidal dynamics, superradiance, and dark matter models. He has contributed to the coset construction for superfluids and Goldstone's theorem at finite density, alongside EFT approaches to black hole quasinormal modes and the classical double copy formalism.

Recent publications highlight applications of EFT in cosmology (dark matter-baryon interactions, inflationary perturbations), gravitational physics (Kerr black hole symmetries, Love numbers), and condensed matter (magneto-elasticity, symmetry breaking in fluids). His work often bridges broad disciplines through symmetry analysis and EFT frameworks.