He was an emeritus professor of astronomy[4] at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, United States.

He undertook his PhD research as a graduate student in residence at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1972 and 1973.

From 1974 to 1976, he served as a civil volunteer teaching physics at the National University of El Salvador, in substitution of his Italian military service.

He was a driving force behind the development of the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope project of which he served as the initial director.

In 1989 Giovanelli and Martha Haynes were awarded the Henry Draper Medal from the National Academy of Sciences for their work on mapping the local universe.