Biography:Graziella Branduardi-Raymont

Short description: Italian physicist

Graziella Branduardi-Raymont
Born	Graziella Branduardi
Nationality	Italian
Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy Planetary Science
Institutions	Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (1977-1979) University College London Mullard Space Science Laboratory (1979-2023)

Graziella Branduardi-Raymont ( - 3 November 2023) was an Italian physicist. She was a professor at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL).

Biography

Branduardi-Raymont obtained a degree in Physics from the University of Milan in 1973, and in 1974 began studying for a PhD at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL). She finished her PhD in X-ray Astronomy in 1977 and subsequently moved to the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.

She returned to MSSL in 1979 as a Research Assistant before achieving lecturership in 1987 and becoming a Reader in Astronomy in 1992. During the 1990s she took on the role of MSSL Project Manager for the Digital Electronics of the Reflection Grating Spectrometer flying onboard ESA's XMM-Newton mission. In 2009, she was appointed Professor of Space Astronomy. At the time of her death, her research was focused on planetary X-ray emission alongside her role as Co-PI for the joint ESA - Chinese Academy of Sciences SMILE mission that is scheduled to launch in 2024.

Research interests

Branduardi-Raymont's research interests included:

• X-ray binaries
• X-ray background
• Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)
• Planetary X-ray emission

Space missions

• Co-Investigator of the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on the ESA XMM-Newton mission.
• Co-Principal Investigator of the ESA - CAS SMILE mission.

See also

• List of women in leadership positions on astronomical instrumentation projects