Graziella Branduardi-Raymont

Graziella Branduardi-Raymont
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^[1]^[2]) 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).^[3] 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 on board ESA's XMM-Newton mission. In 2009, she was appointed professor of space astronomy.^[4] 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 2025.^[5]^[6]

Research interests

Branduardi-Raymont's research interests^[7] 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.^{[citation needed]}
Co-principal investigator of the ESA – CAS SMILE mission.^{[citation needed]}