Manuela Campanelli Headshot

Manuela Campanelli

Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics

School of Mathematics and Statistics
College of Science
Program Faculty - PhD Program in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology (AST)
Director of Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation
Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS)

585-475-7752
Office Location

Manuela Campanelli

Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics

School of Mathematics and Statistics
College of Science
Program Faculty - PhD Program in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology (AST)
Director of Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation
Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS)

Education

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

Bio

Dr. Manuela Campanelli is a distinguished professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences (SMS) and in the Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Program (AST) of the School of Physics and Astronomy (SoPA) at RIT. She is also the founding director of the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation (CCRG) and of the Astrophysics and Space Physics Institute for Research Excellence (ASPIRE). 

She is known for her renowned work on the astrophysics of black holes, neutron stars and gravitational waves. Her 2005's breakthrough work on the first successful numerical simulations of binary black hole mergers was recently highlighted by the APS as one of the landmarks of the century on the subject of general relativity, starting with a contribution from Einstein himself; in 2007, she became known for her discovery that after black holes merge to form a new, larger black hole, the newly formed black hole can recoil at thousands of kilometers a second; fast enough to eject a supermassive black hole from even the largest galaxies. More recently, she leads groundbreaking research projects that are providing the first calculations of matter effects close to merging binary supermassive black holes, including their characteristic electromagnetic emission. She also leads a large NASA’s funded ”Theory and Computational Astrophysics Network” to perform groundbreaking simulations of binary neutron stars (and potentially of black-hole/neutron stars) that aim at providing an understanding of recent and future multi-messenger astrophysics observations of these systems. She is a member of the Ligo Scientific Collaboration. 

Dr. Campanelli’s research include numerous publications, invited presentations, and funded research projects:

List of Awards, Fellowships, Honorable Mentions and Notable Professional Appointments:

Other Links:

585-475-7752

Areas of Expertise

Currently Teaching

ASTP-618
3 Credits
This course will provide students with an in-depth theoretical background on those astrophysical phenomena where matter and electromagnetic fields play a major role. This includes stellar cores, relativistic plasmas, accretion physics, and jet production. Topics will include elements of electromagnetism, classical and relativistic fluids, magnetohydrodynamics, and radiation.
ASTP-660
3 Credits
This course is the first in a two-course sequence that introduces Einstein’s theory of General Relativity as a tool in modern astrophysics. The course will cover various aspects of both Special and General Relativity, with applications to situations in which strong gravitational fields play a critical role, such as black holes and gravitational radiation. Topics include differential geometry, curved spacetime, gravitational waves, and the Schwarzschild black hole. The target audience is graduate students in the astrophysics, physics, and mathematical modeling (geometry and gravitation) programs.
ASTP-790
1 - 3 Credits
Masters-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
ASTP-791
0 Credits
Continuation of Thesis
ASTP-890
1 - 6 Credits
Dissertation research by the candidate for an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
ASTP-891
0 Credits
Continuation of Thesis
PHYS-790
1 - 4 Credits
Graduate-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
PHYS-791
0 Credits
Graduate-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.

In the News