University Distinguished Professor Rocca researches the physics and development of compact soft-ray lasers and their applications, the development of high-power lasers and the study of high intensity laser-matter interactions. In all, he has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics. 

He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Physical Society and OPTICA – previously known as the Optical Society of America. Early in his career he was selected as a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator. He also received the Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science from the APS and the Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics. 

In 2020, Rocca was the first-ever CSU faculty member to receive the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Defense to conduct basic research in ultra-high field nanophotonics. 

Rocca received his B.S. from the University of Rosario in Argentina and earned his Ph.D. from CSU.