Max Pettini

Max Pettini (born 15 June 1949) is a Professor of observational astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge.

Pettini was born in Rome but studied for a BSc in Physics then a PhD in Astrophysics at University College London. Aside from four years at the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Epping, New South Wales from 1987 to 1991, his academic career has been based in the United Kingdom, and he holds British citizenship. Together with Ryan Cooke, he was awarded the 2025 Gruber Prize in Cosmology. Pettini had previously supervised Cooke from 2008 to 2011, when the latter was completing his doctorate at Cambridge.