Maurizio Pajola is Staff Researcher at the National Institute for Astrophysics-Astronomical Observatory of Padova (INAF-OAPD, Italy). In 2014 he got the PhD in Astronautics and Satellite Sciences between the Center for Studies and Activities for Space “G.Colombo”, CISAS-UPD and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena-California/USA with a Thesis on the geological characterisation and surface spectroscopy of ancient Mars drainage networks. In 2014-2015 Maurizio worked as a Post-Doc at the CISAS-UPD focusing on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko surface analysis through Rosetta high-resolution imagery. In 2016-2017 he worked as a NASA fellow at the Ames Research Center, in Moffett Field-California/USA, analysing the surface mineralogy of Phobos and identifying the engineering safest and geologically most interesting Martian landing sites for the ExoMars and the Mars 2020 rovers. He is currently involved in different minor bodies and planetary space missions, being Team member of the NASA/ASI DART-LICIACube mission to asteroid (65803) Didymos, Co-Investigator of the NASA OSIRIS-REx sample return mission from Near-Earth Asteroid (101955) Bennu, Associate Scientist of the ESA OSIRIS/Rosetta mission to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Associate Scientist of the ESA CaSSIS/ExoMars for the exploration of the Martian surface and Associate Scientist of the SIMBIO-SYS/BepiColombo mission for the exploration of Mercury.
Rocco Petrone Prize
ASI, Italian Space Agency
Prize for the best Master Thesis concerning “Planetary mission study: Moon, Asteroids and Mars”, issued by the Italian Space Agency in June, 9, 2014.
Rosetta Mission Award
ESA, European Space Agency
Award in recognition of the outstanding contribution to the ESA Rosetta Mission issued by the European Space Agency in September, 30, 2016.
Giuseppe Lorenzoni Prize
SAIt, Italian Astronomical Society
Prize for the best astrophysical paper published between 01/01/2015 and 31/12/2017, title :”The pristine interior of comet 67P revealed by the combined outburst and cliff collapse”, Nature Astronomy, issued by the Italian Astronomical Society in May, 2, 2018.
Hic Labor Medal of Honour
Accademia Olimpica di Vicenza, Italy
Medal of Honour for the second-best scientific PhD Thesis, issued by the Accademia Olimpica of Vicenza, Italy in June, 23, 2018.
Research or Laboratory Scientist
INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Padova
01 Nov 2017 - present