Current position: Postdoctoral Research Associate
AIM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Postdoctoral Research Associate (06/11/2017 – 05/11/2020)
AIM, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France - Postdoctoral Research Associate on ExoLight Project (01/11/2016 – 31/10/2017)
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, UK
EDUCATION
- PhD in Astrophysics (01/10/2013 – 28/12/2016)
University College London, UK, First supervisor: Prof. Ian D. Howarth, second supervisor: Prof. Giovanna Tinetti,
Thesis title: A machine-learning approach to exoplanet spectroscopy - 6-Months Training Period Abroad (22/01/2013 – 21/07/2013)
University College London, UK, Supervisor: Prof. Giovanna Tinetti - MSc in Physics (01/10/2010-13/12/2012), Summa cum Laude and Honour Mention
Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, Italy, supervisor: Prof. Giovanni Peres, co-supervisor: Dr. Giuseppina Micela,
Thesis title: The infrared radius of the exoplanet HD189733 b - BSc in Physical Sciences (01/10/2007 – 28/10/2010), Summa cum Laude
Universitá degli Studi di Palermo, supervisor: Prof. Giovanni Peres,
Thesis title: I pianeti extrasolari
SELECT AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS
- IPAC Visiting Graduate Fellowship (25/01/2016 – 24/07/2016)
Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA - UCL PhD studentship (01/10/2013 – 30/09/2016)
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, UK - Grant for a 6-months training period abroad (22/01/2013 – 21/07/2013)
from Universitá degli Studi di Palermo at University College London - Erasmus Master Student (08/01/2012 – 08/09/2012)
from Universitá degli Studi di Palermo at University College London - MIUR (Italian Minister of University and Research) prizes (2007) for
(1) High School Diploma top score with praise,
(2) excellent results at the Italian Mathematical Olympiads individual,
(3) and for teams – captain of the school team. - International Competition of Mathematical Games Award, category L2 (26/05/2007)
Universitá Bocconi di Milano (awarded 15 out of 1500 participants) - Silver Medal at the Italian Mathematical Olympiad (11/05/2007)
Cesenatico, Italy - Scholarship “MATHEU Summer School: Identification, Motivation and Support of Mathematical Talents in European Schools” (06/2005)
Intercollege Cyprus
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
First-author and single-author
- Morello, G., Danielski, C., Dickens, D., Tremblin, P., & Lagage, P.-O. 2019, AJ, 157, 205
An independent analysis of the Spitzer/IRAC phase curves of WASP43 b - Morello, G. 2018, AJ, 156, 175
A SEA BASS on the exoplanet HD209458b - Morello, G., Morris, P. W., Van Dyk, S. D., Marston, A. P., & Mauerhan, J. C. 2018, MNRAS, 473, 2565
Applications of machine-learning algorithms for infrared colour selection of galactic Wolf-Rayet stars - Morello, G., Tsiaras, A., Howarth, I. D., & Homeier, D. 2017, AJ, 154, 111
High-precision stellar limb-darkening in exoplanetary transits - Morello, G., Waldmann, I. P., & Tinetti, G. 2016, ApJ, 820, 86
Repeatability of Spitzer/IRAC exoplanetary eclipses with Independent Component Analysis - Morello, G. 2015, ApJ, 808, 56
A blind method to detrend instrumental systematics in exoplanetary light-curves - Morello, G., Waldmann, I. P., Tinetti, G., Howarth, I. D., Micela, G., & Allard, F. 2015, ApJ, 802, 117
Revisiting Spitzer transit observations with Independent Component Analysis: new results for the GJ436 system - Morello, G.,Waldmann, I. P., Tinetti, Peres, G., Micela, G., & Howarth, I. D. 2014, 786, 22
A new look at Spitzer primary transit observations of the exoplanet HD189733b, ApJ - Morello, G., Claret, A., Martin-Lagarde, M., Cossou, C., Tsiaras, A., & Lagage, P.-O. 2019, in press
The ExoTETHyS package: Tools for Exoplanetary Transits around Host Stars
Co-authored
- Bean, J. L. + 101 co-authors 2018, PASP, 130, 114402
The Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program for JWST - Tinetti, G. + 243 co-authors 2018, Experimental Astronomy, 46, pp 135-209
A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL - Tsiaras, A.,Waldmann, I. P., Zingales, T., Rocchetto, M., Morello, G. + 6 co-authors 2018, AJ, 155, 156
A population study of gaseous exoplanets - Howarth, I. D. & Morello, G. 2017, MNRAS, 470, 932
Rapid rotators revisited: absolute dimensions of KOI-13 - Damiano, M., Morello, G., Tsiaras, A., Zingales, T., & Tinetti, G. 2017, AJ, 154, 39
Near-IR transmission spectrum of HAT-P-32b using HST/WFC3 - Ingalls, J. G. + 17 co-authors 2016, AJ, 152, 44 (Spitzer/IRAC team + IRAC 2015 Data Challenge participants)
Repeatability and accuracy of exoplanet eclipse depths measured with post-cryogenic Spitzer - Tsiaras, A., Rocchetto, M., Waldmann, I. P., Venot, O., Varley, R., Morello, G. + 5 co-authors 2016, ApJ, 820, 99
Detection of an atmosphere around the super-Earth 55 Cancri e - Tsiaras, A., Rocchetto, M.,Waldmann, I. P., Varley, R., Morello, G. + 2 co-authors 2016, ApJ, 832, 202
A new approach to analysing HST spatial scans: the transmission spectrum of HD209458b - Tinetti, G. +354 authors 2015, Experimental Astronomy, 40, pp 329-391
The EChO science case
SELECT TALKS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
- Talk at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 14 – Division Planetary Science (DPS) 51 joint meeting, Geneva, Switzerland (16/09/2019)
- Talk at the Exoplanètes Jeunes Chercheurs (ExoJC) 1, Bordeaux, France (28/03/2019)
- Talk at the Digital Exoplanets workshop, Prague, Czech Republic (27/01/2019)
- Talk at the ESA M4 ARIEL-IT Meeting (INAF), Rome, Italy (02/10/2018)
- Talk at the EPSC 13, Berlin, Germany (21/09/2018)
- Talk at the EPSC 12, Riga, Latvia (21/09/2017)
- Talk at the DPS 48 – EPSC 11 joint meeting, Pasadena, California, USA (18/10/2016)
- Talk at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) 228 meeting, San Diego, California, USA (14/06/2016)
- Talk at the EPSC 10, Nantes, France (28/09/2015)
- Invited Talk at the IAU XXIX General Assembly (Spitzer IRAC session), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA (07/08/2015)
- Talk at the EPSC 9, Cascais, Portugal (11/09/2014)
PUBLIC SEMINARS
- INAF – Observatory of Palermo, Palermo, Italy (13/11/2019)
- INAF – Observatory of Rome, Rome, Italy (30/05/2019)
- CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France (05/05/2017)
- UCL – APEX, London, United Kingdom (03/11/2016)
- IPAC, Caltech, California, USA (20/07/2016)
- Stellar Astrophysics Center, Aarhus, Denmark (25/05/2016)
- Dept. of Geophysics and Planetary Science, Caltech, California, USA (17/07/2015)
- IPAC, Caltech, California, USA (06/07/2015)
- UCL – TAMPA, London, United Kingdom (19/06/2015)
MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS
- Member of the ARIEL Payload Consortium (ESA M4)
- Member of the PLATO Science Consortium (ESA M3)
- Member of the Exoplanets-A consortium, part of the H2020 project
- Co-I for the program JWST-ERS n. 1366 (78.1 hr)
- Visiting Researcher at University College London (May 2019 – ongoing)
– Exoplanet Atmospheres group – Prof. Giovanna Tinetti
– ExoMol group – Dr. Sergey Yurchenko - Associate with the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF, Jan 2018 – ongoing)
– Observatory of Palermo, Exoplanets and Stellar Activity group – Dr. Giuseppina Micela
– Observatory of Rome, Solar Physics group – Dr. Ilaria Ermolli
OBSERVING EXPERIENCE
- Palomar P200/TSPEC (on-site observer), 3-4 July 2017, Run 3388, PI: Schuyler Van Dyk
- IRTF/SpeX (remote observer), 3-4 June 2017, Program ID: 2017A080, PI: Jon Mauerhan
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Supervisor of students
– Gianluca Cracchiolo, PhD student at INAF – Observatory of Palermo (Nov 2019 – ongoing)
topic: ExoTETHyS contribution: correcting for stellar activity in exoplanetary transit spectra
– Marine Martin-Lagarde, PhD student at CEA-Saclay (Dec 2018 – ongoing)
1 Talk & 1 Poster at International Conferences, 7 Talks at Workshops, 1 Article in prep.
topic: ExoTETHyS contribution: exoplanet nightside pollution in exoplanetary transits,
topic: JWST/MIRI simulations;
– Jack Carrington, MSc student at UCL (2017)
Research essay for the “Physics of the Exoplanets – PHAS G337” course;
– Luciana Ziino, MSc student at University of Palermo (2014)
contribute to MSc Thesis – topic: the transits of Corot-2 b. - Demonstrator of
– Certificate in Astronomy – Practical Course (University London Observatory, 2014/15). - Marker (corrector of exams)
– Physics of the Exoplanets – PHAS G337 (UCL 2016/17);
– Mathematical Methods I – PHAS 1245 (UCL 2013/14, 2015/16);
– Classical Mechanics – PHAS 1247 (UCL 2014/15).
PEER-REVIEW ACTIVITY
- Manuscripts reviewer for:
– Science;
– Nature Astronomy;
– Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series;
– Astronomical Journal;
– Experimental Astronomy. - Reviewer of Spitzer Director’s Discretionary Time proposal.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
- Programming languages
– commonly used: Python2/3;
– also used: Matlab, Fortran, C, IDL. - Other
– cluster computing (SLURM, PBS);
– collaborating tools: GitHub, Overleaf.