My research activity, carried out within the Space It Up! project and as part of my PhD at the University of Trento, focuses on the development and characterization of low-power Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) for space applications. The goal is to evaluate their electrical, functional, and radiation response to assess their suitability for operation in the harsh space environment.

The study involves laboratory measurements and irradiation campaigns to analyze sensor performance, stability, and reliability, with particular attention to low-power operation, noise optimization, and radiation hardness. I am involved in firmware and hardware development for detector readout and control, implementing data acquisition routines, setting up trigger conditions, and optimizing synchronization for laboratory and beam test measurements. These technical activities support the broader goal of understanding MAPS behavior under realistic operating conditions and improving their performance for long-term use in orbit.

In parallel, I contribute to the SPaRKLE project, a student-led initiative supported by the European Space Agency, aimed at developing a payload for in-orbit measurements of low-energy particles. My role focuses on the design of the detector’s on-board electronics and data handling architecture, applying Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) principles to space-based particle detection.

Complementary to these activities, I am involved in the LIMADOU collaboration, working on data analysis for the HEPD-01 and HEPD-02 detectors to study cosmic-ray fluxes in low-Earth orbit. This activity bridges detector characterization and space-borne measurements.

Finally, my project includes a simulation study of synchrotron emission from charged particles moving in the magnetic field of a tracker coil, with the goal of assessing the feasibility of a new magnetic spectrometer for high-energy cosmic-ray detection in orbit.

Overall, this research combines detector development, data acquisition, and analysis, strengthening the connection between hardware design and scientific applications in space missions.