Prof. Dr. Corrado Cimarelli
Adjunct Professor in the field of volcanology
Office hours:
Per email appointment
I was born in Rome where I have completed my studies. I have obtained my PhD at the University of Roma Tre. I worked in Spain (Universitat de Barcelona) and UK (University of Bristol) before moving to Munich, where I live with my family.
CV
2025 – present Apl. Prof. at the Faculty of Geosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
2024 Visiting Scientist at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara CA, USA.
2020 – present Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore CA, USA.
2020 - present National Scientific Qualification of the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MIUR) as Full Professor in Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology, Volcanology and Georesources.
2020 Habilitation as Professor (Privat Dozent) and Venia Legendi in Mineralogy.
2017- present National Scientific Qualification of the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MIUR) as Associate Professor in Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology, Volcanology and Georesources.
2011 – 2013 AXA Research Fund Fellow. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
2009 - 2011 Marie Curie Research Fellow. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
2009 Royal Society - Accademia dei Lincei Research Fellow. Department of Earth Sciences, Bristol University, United Kingdom.
2006- 2009 Post-Doctoral Research Associate. Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome Italy.
2002 – 2005 Ph.D. in Volcanology. Dipartimento di Scienze Geologiche, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy.
2005 – 2005 Guest Resercher. Departamento de Geoquímica Petrologia i Prospecció Geològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
2002 Laurea cum laude (Master degree) in Geological Sciences. Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy.
- Coordinator of the High Resolution Microscopy Facility for the Volcanology group.
- Consortium Board Member of the Multi-scale Laboratories Thematic Core Service of the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) - European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC)
- Editor of “Active Volcanoes of the World”, Springer Verlag Book Series
- 2016 National Geographic Society Exploration Award
- 2008 Royal Society – Accademia dei Lincei Fellowship Award
Research
Near vent volcanic lightning at Sakurajima volcano (Japan) | © Martin Rietze
I am physical volcanologist working both on active volcanoes and in the laboratory. My research interests revolve around explosive volcanic eruptions with particular interest in conduit dynamics, magma and lava rheology, volcanic jets and plume dynamics as well as volcanic lightning and other electrification phenomena.
High-speed video frames of volcanic lightning experiment | © Corrado Cimarelli
Volcanic lightning and electrification of volcanic plumes
Electrostatic charging permeates our life just as it does in volcanic plumes, driving processes from the micro to the global scale. Charging impacts the way ash is transported, sedimented and remobilized, and how it chemically reacts in the environment. Like in thunderclouds, volcanic lightning can be readily detected from safe distance, allowing for real-time mapping of ash plumes. Combining laboratory experiments with multi-parametric measurements at active volcanoes, we explore the link between electrification and first-order source parameters like mass eruption rate, grain-size distribution and overpressure. Our research suggests that electrical monitoring can also describe the initial conditions and evolving structure of volcanic plumes. Beyond volcanology, with the ERC project VOLTA we provide fundamental understanding of electrification processes in dusty environments, relevant to industrial processing, Earth and planetary electricity and the origin of life.
Running project
Ichihara M., Mininni P.D., Ravichandran S., Cimarelli C., Vagasky C. (2023). Multiphase turbulent flow explains lightning rings in volcanic plumes. Communications Earth and Environment 4, 417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01074-z
Cimarelli C. and Genareau K. (2022) A review of volcanic electrification of the atmosphere and volcanic lightning. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 422, 107449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2021.107449
Gaudin D. and Cimarelli C. (2019) The electrification of volcanic jets and controlling parameters: a laboratory study. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.02.024