Dr. Riccardo Penco

Biography

Riccardo Penco is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University. He specializes in High Energy Physics Theory. Penco completed his Ph.D. at Syracuse University in 2012, following a Laurea Specialistica in Theoretical Physics and a Laurea in Physics from the University of Trieste in 2006 and 2003, respectively. His research interests encompass a range of problems involving physical systems from laboratory scales to cosmological scales. He has focused on a variety of problems in cosmology and astrophysics, utilizing quantum field theory techniques to draw connections between seemingly disparate phenomena. His work includes investigations into inflation and dark matter in cosmology, as well as phenomena in astrophysics involving black holes and condensed matter systems. He has derived innovative effective field theory (EFT) approaches to study the dynamics of slowly-spinning, relativistic objects in gravitational contexts. His cosmological research aims to enhance the understanding of primordial perturbations and explore dark matter models that can reproduce observed relations in spiral galaxies. Additionally, he has developed effective theories to describe perturbations in black hole structures, contributing significantly to the field of gravitational physics.

Research Interests

Experience