Dr. Piero Madau is a distinguished scholar and leading authority in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology, recognized globally for his transformative contributions to understanding cosmic evolution. He currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California Santa Cruz, a position he has held with distinction since 2010, and additionally holds a professorship at the Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca since 2023. Born and educated in Italy, he graduated magna cum laude in Physics from the University of Florence in 1983 before earning his PhD in Astrophysics from the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste. His academic journey brought him to the United States in 1987 with a postdoctoral position at the California Institute of Technology, followed by significant appointments at the Space Telescope Science Institute as a Davis Fellow and junior faculty, and subsequently as a tenured faculty member at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge.
Dr. Madau's research has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of cosmic star formation history and the evolutionary processes governing the universe, with his seminal review paper on the subject becoming a cornerstone reference in modern astrophysics. His pioneering investigations into the assembly and evolution of massive black holes, the reionization and chemical enrichment of the intergalactic medium, and the cosmic UV and X-ray backgrounds have established critical theoretical frameworks that guide observational astronomy across multiple wavelengths. His groundbreaking work demonstrated that the cosmic star-formation rate density peaked approximately 3.5 billion years after the Big Bang at redshift z ≈ 1.9, and declined exponentially thereafter with an e-folding timescale of 3.9 billion years, providing a quantitative foundation for interpreting galaxy evolution. The profound impact of his scholarship is evidenced by nearly 200 highly cited research publications that have shaped contemporary cosmological models and informed major observational initiatives, with his theoretical models of galaxy formation and evolution continuing to serve as essential tools for interpreting data from cutting-edge telescopes and space missions.
As a distinguished academic leader, Dr. Madau has served in numerous influential roles including Committee on Privilege and Tenure at the university-wide level, Faculty Search Committee chair, and director of the Next Generation Science Institute at UC Santa Cruz. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors including the AURA Science Prize in 1994, the von Humboldt Research Prize from the Max Planck Society in 2005, and the Schroedinger Visiting Professorship at the Pauli Center for Theoretical Studies in 2014. He has been invited as a distinguished lecturer at leading institutions worldwide, including the Bishop Lecturer at Columbia University in 2004, the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Visiting Professor at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge in 2009, and the Bruno Rossi Lecturer at the Arcetri Astronomical Observatory in 2014. Currently, his research continues to explore the frontiers of theoretical astrophysics, particularly in 21-cm cosmology and substructure lensing, maintaining his position at the forefront of efforts to unravel the universe's complex evolutionary history while mentoring the next generation of astrophysicists through his teaching of advanced cosmology courses at UC Santa Cruz.
