Short Curriculum Vitae
Francesco Riggi has been Full Professor in Experimental Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy
E.Majorana, University of Catania. After retirement since November 2021, he still holds a teaching
contract for the present Academic Year within the same Department, and is involved in several research
activities.
Teaching activity
Over the years his teaching activities included lectures on Experimental Physics for students in
Biology (1991-2001), General Physics (2001-2007), Scientific Museology (2002-2005), High Energy
Nuclear Physics (2005-present), Physics Laboratory for 3rd year physics students (2009-2021), Experimental
Methods in Nuclear Physics (2012-2021), Cosmic Rays Physics Laboratory for the PhD curriculum (2017-2021).
As a part of his teaching activity he has acted as supervisor for several degree, master and PhD theses in Nuclear
and General Physics. He has also been
involved in the post-degree program for high school teachers and for PhD students.
Research activity
He has carried out research in Experimental Nuclear Physics since 1974: at the beginning of his activity in the field of low and
intermediate energies,
in various Laboratories over the world (GANIL and CEA Saclay, France), Michigan State University (USA), Moscow (Russia), TSL Uppsala (Sweden),
Athens (Greece), Daresbury (United Kingdom)
with large solid angle detectors and magnetic spectrometers.
Since 1995 he is involved in research activities carried out at CERN in the domain of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions,
joining the NA57 experiment at SPS (especially concerned with the study of strangeness production) and the ALICE Collaboration at LHC (A large
multipurpose detector for the study of heavy ion collisions at the highest available energies).
Within the ALICE Collaboration he has contributed to the construction and use of the silicon pixel detector
of the Inner Tracker System (and its upgrade)
and of the Electromagnetic Calorimeter. Physics items of interest within the ALICE team in Catania
include the study of short-lived
resonances ant the production of light (anti)nuclei.
He is also involved in various activities concerned with fundamental and applied cosmic ray physics,
collaborating with the EEE (Extreme Energy Event) Project to develop and maintain
an extended network of cosmic ray
telescopes in the italian schools,
and carrying out several applications of the muon tomography techniques,
for the inspection of cargo container and volcanoes.
He is author of more than 600 scientific papers published in international physics journals.
Organization activity
He has been member of the Collaboration Board of the ALICE experiment and Team Leader for the Catania site,
and is presently member of the Executive Committee of the EEE
Collaboration and chair of the Editorial Board for this Collaboration.
He has also been organizer of Workshops and international Meetings, and acts as referee for several
Journals in Physics.
Scientific Coordinator of the PhD School in Physics of the University of Catania (2005-2016).
Involved in several dissemination and outreach activities, he also collaborates
to various newspapers, magazines and Web sites.