image of a galaxyDr Alfredo Carpineti
he/him
Scientist Journalist Activist
alt

I was born on a sunny Mardi Gras in the town of Anzio, which is also the birthplace of Nero and Caligula… Now, make of that what you will, but I feel it was a good opening sentence for a short autobiography.

In more serious terms, I’m Alfredo (he/him). I’m an Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and science communicator under the moniker of The Astroholic. My day job is senior staff writer and space correspondent for IFLScience. The gay job that I do in my free time is being the chair (and founder) of Pride in STEM, an award-nominated charity dedicated to supporting and showcasing LGBT people in science, technology, engineering, and maths.

Pride in STEM and other sibling organisations launched LGBTQ+STEM Day, the international day for LGBTQIA+ people in STEM, which is an annual global event that takes place on November 18. For this work, I was recognised as one of the 100 LGBTQ trailblazers by Attitude Magazine.

I have a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and an M.Sc. in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College, and a bachelor’s degree in Physics and Astrophysics from Rome’s first university La Sapienza.

What I Do

Science Communication
Alfredo making a cocktail as part of a talk

Science communication is a central part of my career and one of my core passions and I use my blog, talks and podcasts to communicate scientific ideas to a wide range of audiences.

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Social Activism
Alfredo wearing a crop-top, rainbow flag round his waist and short shorts holding a placard that reads "Pride in STEM"

As chair and founder of Pride in STEM I strive to raise the profile of LGBT people in STEM and highlight the struggles they face.

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Research
Alfredo in a space suit

My Ph.D. research focused on the role of galaxy mergers in the evolution of massive galaxies and I continue to actively participate in scientific research.

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