ELENA CUOCO
Full Professor of Physics
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, Italy
ORCID: 0000-0002-6528-3449
ResearcherID: I-8789-2012
Email: info@elenacuoco.com
Website: https://www.elenacuoco.com
Scientific impact (December 2025):
H-index: 128 • i10-index: 375
RESEARCH PROFILE
I am a physicist and data scientist with over twenty years of experience in gravitational-wave science, advanced signal analysis, and machine learning. My work focuses on detector characterization, noise identification, AI-driven analysis pipelines, and the extraction of astrophysical signals from complex, multidimensional data.
I am a senior member of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration. My scientific activity is strongly interdisciplinary, spanning gravitational physics, signal processing, geophysics, and artificial intelligence.
CURRENT POSITIONS
2024–present
Full Professor of Physics, University of Bologna
2018–2024
Head, Data Science Office, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), Pisa
PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS
2004–2024 — Applied Physicist, European Gravitational Observatory
2018–2024 — Associate Faculty, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
2001–2004 — Fixed-term Researcher, INFN Firenze
Short-term Visiting Scientist:
• University of Valencia (2016)
• University of Glasgow (2016)
• SUPA Distinguished Visiting Scientist, Glasgow (2014)
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D. in Physics, University of Pisa (1994–1997)
Ph.D. awarded 01/07/1998
Master Degree in Physics, University of Pisa (1993)
National Habilitation (ASN) – Experimental Physics of Fundamental Interactions:
• Full Professor (2019)
• Associate Professor (2013)
SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS & RECOGNITION
As a senior member of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA Collaboration, I contributed to the first detection of gravitational waves, recognized by:
• 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
• 2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize
My leadership in developing signal-analysis methodologies and integrating machine learning into gravitational-wave data pipelines has been widely acknowledged through invited talks, advisory appointments, and leadership roles.
SELECTED LEADERSHIP ROLES
2018–2023 — LVK Machine Learning Group, Co-Chair
2021–2025 — CTAO Scientific & Technical Advisory Committee, Member
2021–2025 — Einstein Telescope Data Analysis Division, Co-Chair
2019–2021 — Chair, General Assembly, ESCAPE EU Project
2018–2023 — Action Chair, COST Action CA17137
2014–2018 — Scientific Coordinator, GraWIToN FP7-Marie Curie ITN
2008–2014 — Coordinator, Virgo Noise Analysis Group
RECENT INVITED TALKS (Selected)
2024: CoCoNuT Meeting (Valencia) • EuCAIFCon24 (Amsterdam) • GRASS (Padova) • RICAP24 (Roma)
2023: European Astronomical Society Meeting (Krakow) • IFPU ML Workshop (Trieste)
2022: Applications of AI to GW Science (Geneva) • SciOps AI for Astronomy (Munich) • Supernovae in GW Era (Melbourne) • Lepton Photon Symposium (Manchester)
2021: IPAM long program + workshop series (UCLA) • Multiple invited seminars (Geneva, RIT, OzGrav, Valencia)
EDITORIAL & REVIEW ACTIVITIES
Editorial Boards:
• Machine Learning: Science and Technology (IOP)
• MDPI Signals
• Loop Frontiers (Efficient AI in Particle Physics & Astrophysics)
Reviewer for: Nature • APS • IOP • IEEE • MNRAS • AAS • MDPI • Annalen der Physik
Committee Member (selected):
• 2024 – OSCARS Horizon Europe, Independent Evaluation Committee
• 2024 – Master Jury (Coimbra) • PhD Committees (Valencia, Pisa, Barcelona)
• 2023 – INFN Selection Committee
• 2017 – EGO Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee
SUPERVISION
Supervised:
• 6 Postdocs
• 6 PhD students
• 4 Master students
• 2 Bachelor students
• 2 Erasmus student
2014–2018 — Scientific Coordinator for 13 ESR PhD researchers in the GraWIToN network
Several former mentees now hold research grants and university positions.
RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS
Co-founder of the European Coalition for Artificial Intelligence in Fundamental Physics (EuCAIF).
Seminars (Selected)
2024: BND Graduate School (Belgium) • Physics Colloquium (Milan)
2023: Tor Vergata University • Masterclass in Big Data (Milano–Bicocca) • g2net Training School
2020: Frontiers of Cosmology Lectures (SNS)
2019: Data Science School (Braga)
2018: Bari University • Pisa University (Data Science Ph.D.) • Tor Vergata University
2010–2011: VESF School, EGO
RECENT CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION
2025 EuCAIF conference (organizer and SOC member)
2024 EuCAIF conference (organizer and SOC member)
2024: BIRS Conference • EuCAIF Conference
2022: Machine Learning in GW Search (Chair, EGO) • EuCAPT Workshop (Rome)
2021: AISIS Symposium • BIRS Conference (MX) • CBMI CoBLA • GWMull • EAS SS14 • Innovative Workflow in Astro & Particle Physics (Chair)
2019: 1st g2net Conference (Chair)
2018: Computational Challenges in GWs (UCLA, Organizer)