Today Friday 8 January 2021, the French Astronomical Society (SAF) will present its prestigious international astronomy award the Jules Janssen Prize to IAU President Ewine F. van Dishoeck. Thierry Montmerle, of the Paris Institute of Astrophysics (IAP), will present the medal to van Dishoeck in an online ceremony starting at 18:00 CET which will be streamed live.

This prestigious international prize was established by the famous astronomer Jules Janssen, who served as SAF President from 1895 to 1897, and it has been awarded annually by the SAF ever since. The prize is alternately given to a French astronomer and a foreign astronomer for outstanding scientific work, and for their contribution to public dissemination of astronomy.

Ewine van Dishoeck receives the 2020 Jules Janssen Prize in recognition of her pioneering research in observational, theoretical and laboratory astrochemistry, which has shed light on the chemistry of interstellar clouds and the formation of stars and planets. She has also advanced astronomy through her active involvement in the planning of new observing facilities such as Herschel and ALMA.

In addition to her research, Ewine van Dishoeck has contributed significantly to the astronomical community and to public outreach. As President of the IAU for the triennium 2018–2021, she oversaw IAU100, the IAU’s centenary celebrations in 2019. This huge global initiative involved over 5000 activities in 143 countries, and successfully engaged the public with the inspiring astronomical breakthroughs that have shaped science, technology and culture.

Ewine van Dishoeck is currently Professor of Molecular Astrophysics at Leiden University, and has received numerous prizes for her work, including the Spinoza Prize in 2000, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 2015 and the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics in 2018. Since 2007, she has been the Scientific Director of NOVA (the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy).

Previous recipients of the Jules Janssen Prize include Percival Lowell (1904), Max Wolf (1912), Robert Esnault-Pelterie (1930), Albert Einstein (1931), André Danjon (1950), Jean-Claude Pecker (1967), Evry Schatzman (1973), Audouin Dollfus (1993), Michel Mayor (1998), Pierre Lena (1999), Reinhard Genzel (2000), and Françoise Combes (2017), Alessandro Morbidelli (2018) and Hubert Reeves (2019).

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The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together almost 12 000 active professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Founded by Camille Flammarion, the Société Astronomique de France celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2017. Bringing together professional and amateur astronomers since its foundation, SAF holds a unique place in popularising astronomy and space sciences.

Links

• Jules Janssen Prize at SAF

Contacts

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org