IAU prize for best PhD thesis in Interstellar Matter and Local Universe for Cecilia Bacchini

Cecilia Bacchini was awarded the IAU prize for the best PhD thesis in Interstellar Matter and Local Universe for her thesis Star formation laws and gas turbulence in nearby galaxies.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has awarded Dr. Cecilia Bacchini the 2020 IAU PhD prize in Division H: Interstellar Matter and Local Universe. The IAU PhD Prize recognises the outstanding scientific achievements of astronomy PhD students around the world.

Cecilia Bacchini completed her PhD in September 2020, a joint degree between the Universities of Groningen (Kapteyn Astronomical Institute) and Bologna (Physics and Astronomy Department).

Her thesis, entitled “Star formation laws and gas turbulence in nearby galaxies”, is a investigation of the role of gas in determining the rate at which stars form in galaxies and how stellar evolution and, in particular supernova explosions, can feed the turbulence of the gas.

Notably, Cecilia has discovered and thoroughly investigated a new volumetric star formation law that links the volume densities of the gas present in galaxy discs with their star formation rate volume densities; this law appears to hold in galaxies of very different masses, from dwarf galaxies to large spirals, including our Milky Way.

Cecilia’s PhD thesis was supervised by Prof. F. Fraternali (Groningen) and Prof. C. Nipoti (Bologna).

The PhD Prize will be officially awarded during the next IAU General Assembly, to be held on 2-11 August 2022 in Busan, South Korea.