Paola Testa
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Research Focus
About Paola
I am an Astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. I received my doctorate in Physics at the University of Palermo (Italy) on the topic of coronal activity in the Sun and other stars. After my graduate studies I held a post-doctoral appointment at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and since 2008 I am a staff astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in the Solar and Stellar X-ray group of the High Energy Astrophysics Division.
My research focuses on understanding the heating mechanisms and X-ray emission processes in the hot outer layers of the atmosphere of the Sun and other stars. My interests encompass a wide range of astrophysical sources including the Sun, late-type main sequence and pre-main sequence stars, and early-type stars.
Education
Postdoc
Kavli Institute for Astrophysics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005 - 2007
Ph.D.
Physics, University of Palermo, Italy, 02/2005
Master's
Physics, University of Palermo, Italy, 02/2001
Bachelor's
Physics, University of Palermo, Italy, 02/2001