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Massimo Marengo, associate professor of physics and astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was selected as a recipient of the Dean’s Emerging Faculty Leader Award.

The award is a donor-funded recognition of early to mid-career faculty who show promise. Funds from the award can be used to attract other grant opportunities, purchase critical equipment, or hire graduate assistant or other personnel.

Massimo’s research explores the relationship between stellar elements and stars, utilizing preeminent technology and equipment. His work includes observations from exclusive observatories and telescopes such as NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, and the Herschel Space Telescope. Previous to his appointment at Iowa State University, Massimo was an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics, and he served on a team that built and calibrated the exclusive infrared camera onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Massimo continues to gather observations and investigate unexplored parts of our galaxy. This research helps us understand the complex universe, and also helps scientists decipher the life cycles of stars and the phenomena that affect them. In turn, we learn more about the stars and planets in our galaxy and how the universe affects us.

Massimo earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics from the International School for Advanced Studies, an institution with the reputation of educating some of the brightest minds in science. He has earned numerous awards for his achievement in research and excellence in the field of astrophysics.