▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Nap les ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 6 . ▁Her ▁ad visor ▁was ▁Giovanni ▁J ona - L as in io ▁of ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Rome . ▁She ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁to ▁carry ▁out ▁academic ▁research , ▁first ▁at ▁Harvard ▁University , ▁and ▁later ▁at ▁Pr inc eton ▁University ▁and ▁the ▁Institute ▁for ▁Advanced ▁Study . ▁She ▁has ▁been ▁a ▁professor ▁of ▁physics ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Southern ▁California ▁( 1 9 9 9 – 2 0 0 1 ) ▁and ▁Pr inc eton ▁University ▁( 2 0 0 1 – present ). ▁In ▁May ▁ 2 0 1 3 , ▁N app i ▁obtained ▁emer ita ▁status ▁in ▁Pr inc eton . ▁ ▁Research ▁Chi ara ▁N app i ' s ▁early ▁work ▁focused ▁on ▁rig orous ▁statistical ▁mechan ics . ▁Her ▁work ▁with ▁R . ▁Fig ari ▁and ▁R . ▁Ho eg h - K ro hn ▁resulted ▁in ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁propos als ▁of ▁a ▁thermal ▁interpretation ▁of ▁quantum ▁field ▁theory ▁in ▁de ▁S itter ▁space . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁with ▁G . ▁Ad kins ▁and ▁E . ▁W itten , ▁she ▁investig ated ▁the ▁static ▁properties ▁of ▁b ary ons ▁in ▁the ▁Sky r me ▁model , ▁and ▁with ▁A . ▁Ab ou els a ood , ▁C . ▁G . ▁Call an , ▁and ▁S . ▁A . ▁Y ost , ▁she ▁worked ▁on ▁the ▁behavior ▁of ▁open ▁strings ▁in ▁background ▁elect romagnet ic ▁fields .