Rate My Professor Fabio Bacchini

Fabio Bacchini is an Assistant Professor on the tenure track in the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science at KU Leuven, appointed since 2022. He is a core member of the Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics (CmPA) and the Leuven Gravity Institute (LGI), and holds a Research Scientist position at the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB). Bacchini completed his PhD in Mathematics at KU Leuven in 2018, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in Germany, Belgium, and the United States. His research expertise lies in computational astrophysics, where he develops and implements multiscale numerical simulation methods, including particle-in-cell techniques and high-performance computing on supercomputers, to investigate astrophysical plasmas. His primary interests encompass kinetic plasma physics, magnetohydrodynamics, high-energy astrophysics, magnetic reconnection, particle acceleration, collisionless turbulence, solar wind expansion and turbulence, heliospheric plasma modeling, and relativistic processes in black hole accretion flows and compact object mergers.

Bacchini's prolific publication record includes over 1,270 citations and contributions to top-tier journals such as Physical Review Letters, The Astrophysical Journal, and Nature Astronomy. Key publications feature "Magnetic reconnection and hot spot formation in black hole accretion disks" (The Astrophysical Journal, 2020), recipient of the IOP/AAS Top Cited Paper Award in 2023; "Collisionless Magnetorotational Turbulence in Pair Plasmas: Steady-State Dynamics, Particle Acceleration, and Radiative Cooling" (Physical Review Letters, 2024, PRL Editor's Suggestion); "Three-dimensional Dynamics of Strongly Magnetized Ion–Electron Relativistic Reconnection" (The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 2025); and "Exascale computing to accelerate discoveries in astrophysics and space plasma physics" (Nature Astronomy, 2026). As promotor, he leads KU Leuven projects like Relativistic Magnetic Reconnection in Astrophysical Plasmas, Multi-scale Modeling of Solar Wind Expansion, Acceleration, and Turbulence, and Electromagnetic Radiation Signatures from Turbulent Reconnection in Black Hole Accretion Flows. Bacchini teaches advanced courses including Introduction to Plasma Dynamics, Selected Topics in Mathematics, and Research Seminar in Plasma-Astrophysics. His simulations provide critical insights into high-energy phenomena, multimessenger signals, and space weather, influencing plasma astrophysics research globally. He engages in public outreach through lectures at Urania and KU Leuven Summer of Science programs.