Dr. Marco Cavaglià has been named chair of the physics department at Missouri S&T. He will start this new role on Monday, Aug. 3.

Cavaglià takes over the position from Dr. Thomas Vojta, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of physics at S&T, who is returning to a faculty position after serving as chair since 2018.

Cavaglià, who joined S&T in 2019, is currently a professor in the department. An expert in multi-messenger astrophysics, Cavaglià specializes in experimental and theoretical gravitational physics, as well as astrophysics. His research interests include the theory and detection of gravitational waves, classical and quantum models of gravity, astrophysics and cosmology, and quantum field theory.

“I know Marco will do a fantastic job in his new role for the university,” says Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, vice provost and dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education at S&T. “He is well loved by the students and respected by his peers, and I know he will build on the solid reputation that S&T’s physics department has for preparing students for the challenges they will face when they graduate.

“I would, of course, also like to thank Thomas Vojta for leading the department for so many years and I look forward to seeing him produce new, wonderful research.”

While at Missouri S&T, Cavaglià has earned both Faculty Excellence and Faculty Research awards, and the 2019 National Air and Space Museum’s Current Achievement Trophy as part of the LIGO Collaboration.

Prior to joining the university, Cavaglià was a professor of physics at the University of Mississippi. He has also served as a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth in England, and a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Beira Interior in Portugal, the Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik in Germany, and at Tufts University.

Cavaglià earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the International School for Advanced Studies in Italy, and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physics from the University of Turin in Italy.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.