Angela Zegarelli joined the IceCube Collaboration two years ago as a postdoctoral researcher at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Before that, she worked with KM3NeT while a PhD candidate and stayed on for another year as a postdoc. Her interest in neutrino astronomy goes back to her undergraduate years, when she attended a seminar led by the person who would later become her PhD advisor. Hearing how neutrinos can help us understand some of the most energetic objects in the universe immediately clicked with her. She has been motivated ever since by a simple question: which astrophysical sources are actually producing these particles?
What Angela loves most about her work is that it never stands still. There is always something new to learn, build, or test, and the field is constantly moving forward. She also knows the academic path can be demanding and often comes with big life changes, but she sees that as part of the adventure. With her naturally positive outlook, she tends to see new challenges for what they make possible, not for what they disrupt.
“Learning from setbacks and recognizing what is right for you matters just as much as persistence.”
Angela Zegarelli
At IceCube, Angela helps the team move quickly when the detector catches a neutrino from space. She works on the tools that quickly check these events and send real-time alerts so other telescopes can look for a possible source. She also studies how neutrinos might be produced in some of the universe’s most violent events, using computer models to test what signals those events could create.
Looking back, Angela offers early-career students refreshingly honest advice: make choices that truly make you happy, even if that means stepping away from research. She also emphasizes that “learning from setbacks and recognizing what is right for you matters just as much as persistence,” reminding students that persistence alone is not always the answer. Above all, she encourages them to trust themselves and believe in their abilities.
Outside of research, Angela loves staying active with sports of all kinds. In Germany, she discovered a love for step aerobics, often bringing along a friend. She enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors, with a soft spot for the beach since she grew up by the sea in Italy. Weekends often include cooking and spending time with friends. Since a seminar first sparked her own interest in the field, she is especially looking forward to supporting and inspiring students one day.