Cosimo Inserra

I am an observational astrophysicist working on cosmic explosions, called supernovae, that characterise the death of a star. My current research focuses on the brightest supernovae explosions, usually referred to as "superluminous supernovae", and their use as high-redshift probes. I am also interested in the role of interaction and shocks on astronomical transients, as well as those reaching their maximum light and fading soon after in a few weeks, usually referred to as Fast transients or Fast, Blue, Optical transients (FBOTs). I am also working on the implementation of machine learning techniques for transient astronomy to classify and categorise different kinds of supernovae and extreme transients.

I have been awarded the 2021 MERAC Prize as the Best Early Career Researcher in Observational Astrophysics for the investigation of the extremes of stellar explosions, providing a pioneering contribution to their understanding and their role in astronomy and astrophysics.