When two black holes spiral around each other, they emit gravitational waves that we detect here on Earth. When black holes interact with dark matter, the signal is modified. Tomaselli’s research aims at characterizing this modification, with the goal to search for the “dark universe” using gravitational waves.

In 2024, Tomaselli completed his PhD thesis “Gravitational Atoms and Black Hole Binaries” and obtained his PhD at the University of Amsterdam. He did his research at the GRAPPA institute and the Institute of Physics under the supervision of Daniel Baumann and Gianfranco Bertone.

The Rubicon grant provides young researchers with the opportunity to conduct their research at a foreign institute that provides the best environment for their work. With the grant, Tomaselli will be able to extend his current postoctoral position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton to a total of for years, to further pursue his research interests.