About Me

My work spans areas from the asymptotic safety scenario to the canonical approach to quantum gravity. My aim is to understand the connection between geometry, gravity, and physical reference systems, and to seek observable imprints of quantum gravity in cosmology.

From 2019 to 2023 I did my doctoral studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany. In December 2023 I obtained my PhD (summa cum laude), for which I was awarded the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus dissertation price for the year 2023/2024.

Since October 2023 I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Quantum Gravity at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. In February 2024 I was awarded the Simons Emmy Noether Visiting Postdoctoral Fellowship from Perimeter Institute. This Fellowship will allow me to regularly visit Perimeter throughout the next two years.

In January 2025 I was awarded funding by the FAUeti (Emerging Talent Initiative), aimed at helping excellent young researchers apply for external funding. Since then I am also part of the FAUNext Career Program, a qualification program that offers a wide range of training opportunities on all important topics on academic career.

Promoting gender & diversity

I am very active in promoting women and diversity in science. During my doctoral studies I was an Ada Lovelace fellow, and have been a mentor in the Cybermentor program, which provides support for girls in STEM subjects. At the FAU Erlangen I am currently an ARIADNE fellow, a mentoring program for female early career researchers.

I am part of the Physics Gender and Diversity Network of the FAU, and am coorganizing the DIPHER 2024 conference (Diversity in physics for the diversity of physics - Erlangen). It took place in Erlangen from November 5th to 7th 2024. We explored the intersection of gender, diversity, and cultural perspectives within the physics community.

Publications

Here is a selection of my most recent publications:

R. Ferrero and T. Thiemann, "Asymptotically safe canonical quantum gravity: Gaussian dust matter," [arXiv:2503.22474 [hep-th]]

R. Ferrero, V. Naso and R. Percacci, "Quantum fields and the cosmological constant," [arXiv:2503.17203 [hep-th]]

A. Bonanno, K. Falls and R. Ferrero, "Path integral measures and diffeomorphism invariance," accepted in JHEP, [arXiv:2503.02941 [hep-th]]

R. Ferrero, M. Han and H. Liu, "The one-loop effective action from the coherent state path integral of loop quantum gravity," [arXiv:2502.07696 [gr-qc]]

E. D'Angelo, R. Ferrero and M. B. Fröb, "De Sitter quantum gravity within the covariant Lorentzian approach to asymptotic safety," [arXiv:2502.05135 [hep-th]]

You can find the full list on INSPIRE

See my profile on INSPIRE

Seminars & conferences

2025

"Background independent renormalization techniques", invited talk at the WE-Heraeus-Seminar "New Trends in First Quantisation: Field Theory, Gravity and Quantum Computing", Bad Honneff (Germany) - virtual, 16.04.2025.
Panelist in the panel "Future of Asymptotic Safety", Workshop "Quantum spacetime and the Renormalization Group 2025", Heidelberg, 03.04.2025.
"Extracting physical information from the RG in quantum gravity", Theory and Phenomenology of Fundamental Interactions Seminars, University of Pisa, 20.02.2025.
"Extracting physical information from the RG in quantum gravity", Theory and Phenomenology of Fundamental Interactions Seminars, University of Bologna, 18.02.2025.
"The one-loop effective action from the coherent state path integral of LQG", contributed talk at "12th Tux Winter Workshop on Quantum Gravity", Tux (Austria), 13.02.2025.
"RG for relational observables", Qubits and Spacetime Unit Seminars - Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST, Japan) - virtual, 10.02.2025.
"Observables and observers in quantum spacetime: a field theory perspective", Quantum Information Theory Seminar - ETH Zürich, 22.01.2025.
"Two quantum gravity models at the interface with cosmology", Theoretical Cosmology Seminar - ETH Zürich, 21.01.2025.

2024

"Asymptotic Safety within on-shell perturbation theory", Asymptotic Safety meets Particle Physics & Friends - DESY Hamburg, 17.12.2024.
"Relational Lorentzian Asymptotic Safe Gravity", Quantum Gravity Seminar - University of Catania, 11.12.2024.
"Asymptotic safety and canonical quantum gravity", Quantum Gravity Seminar - Perimeter Institute (Canada), 03.10.2024.
"Asymptotic safety and canonical quantum gravity", International Loop Quantum Gravity Seminar - virtual, 24.09.2024.
"Relational Lorentzian Asymptotically Safe Quantum Gravity", invited talk at Quantum Gravity on the Computer 2.0, Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena, 09.09.2024.
"Two quantum gravity models at the interface with cosmology", joint seminar ACAI.theory - physical cosmology, LMU München, 07.08.2024.
"Background independent renormalization techniques", invited talk at (Quantum)-Gravity in the lab, Universität Heidelberg, 25.06.2024.
"Universal Definition of the Nonconformal Trace Anomaly", contributed talk at 48th LQP Workshop, Universität Leipzig, 5.06.2024.
"Asymptotic safety and canonical quantum gravity", contributed talk at Loops’24, Fort Lauderdale (Florida), 06.05.2024.
"Running relational observables", Gravity Group Seminar, University of Brunswick (Canada) - virtual, 18.04.2024.
"Running relational observables", Young Researchers of Quantum Gravity Seminar - virtual 14.03.2024.
to be updated

Renata Ferrero