Athena Coustenis

Athena Coustenis
Coustenis in September 2017
Born	1961 (1961) Athens, Greece.
Residence	Paris, France.
Citizenship	French, Greek.
Education	Pierre and Marie Curie University (MS, PhD), HDR University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle (MA)
Scientific career
Fields	Astrophysics Planetary science
Website	http://www.CoustenisPlanetologist.com

Athena Coustenis is an astrophysicist specializing in planetology. Coustenis, a French national, is director of research, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS, French National Center for Scientific Research), at LESIA (Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique), at the Paris Observatory, Meudon^[1]. She is involved in and heads space mission projects for the European Space Agency (ESA) and for NASA. Her focus is on gas giant planets Saturn, Jupiter and their moons, and she is considered a foremost expert on Saturn's Titan (moon).^[2]

Early life and education

Born in Athens, Greece, in 1961, Coustenis moved to Paris, France, where she received a master's degree in astrophysics and space techniques at the Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), Paris 6, in 1986 and a master's degree in English literature, at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle, in 1987. Coustenis defended her PhD thesis in astrophysics and space techniques, "Titan's atmosphere from Voyager's infrared observations", at the Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), Paris 7, in 1989, where in 1996 she went on to obtain a Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR).^[3][4]

Career

Coustenis worked as senior researcher at DESPA, then at LESIA from 1991 to 2008. From 2008 to the present Athena Coustenis is the director of research, CNRS, at LESIA at the Paris Observatory, Meudon. She is co-investigator of three of the instruments aboard the Cassini/Huygens mission CIRS, HASI, DISR.^[5]

Coustenis is also involved in several leadership committees of scientific societies, associations and institutions including the European Geosciences Union (EGU), International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), International Astronomical Union (IAU), International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), European Planetary Science Congress (EPSG), Europlanet, International Space Science Institute (ISSI), and the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL)^[6]

She is the former president of the IUGG International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences and of the ESA Solar System and Exploration Working Group. As the chair of the European Science Foundation Space Science Committee (ESF-ESSC), 2015-2020, she is an ex-officio member of several committees within the ESA Advisory Structure, of the Space Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences, of CNES and of COSPAR. She is also involved in several leadership committees of scientific societies, associations and institutions like the European Geosciences Union, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, International Astronomical Union, and the International Space Science Institute.

Research

Coustenis uses ground and space-based observatories to study solar system bodies with emphasis on the satellites of the giant planets Saturn and Jupiter and exoplanets. She focuses on the astrobiological aspects and the search for habitable worlds in the Solar System and beyond. Her research in comparative planetology use the study of climate changes to further the understanding of long-term evolution on our own planet. In recent years she has been leading efforts to define and select future space missions to be undertaken by the European Space Agency and its international partners.^[7]

Publications

Coustenis, A., Encrenaz, Th., 2013. Life beyond Earth: the search for habitable worlds in the Universe. Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN 978-1107026179.^[8]

Coustenis, A., Taylor, F., 2008. Titan : Exploring an Earth-like World. World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, Eds. ISBN 978-9812705013.^[9]

Coustenis, A., Taylor, F., 1999. Titan, the Earth-like moon. World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, Eds. ISBN 978-9810239213.^[10]

Coustenis has published or co-authored over 190 scientific papers, articles and encyclopedia chapters.^[11]

Memberships, honors and awards

The NASA Group Achievement Award for the Cassini Programme Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI)

The NASA Group Achievement Award for the Cassini Program Descent Imager Radiometer Spectrometer (DISR)

The NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award for the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI)

The NASA Public Service Group Achievement Award for the Descent Imager Spectrometer radiometer (DISR)

The ESA Award for making an outstanding contribution to the Huygens Probe.^[12]

The American Astronomical Society awarded Coustenis in 2014 with the Harold Masursky award.^[13]

Member of the Royal Society^[14]

In 2017 elected member, International Academy of Astronautics.^[15]

Since January 2018, Associated member of the Royal Academy of Belgium.^[16]

Member of the International Astronomical Union^[17]

18101 Coustenis (2000 LF32) is a main-belt asteroid discovered on 5 June 2000 by the Lowell Observatory Near Earth Object Search at the Anderson Mesa Station. It was named after Dr Athena Coustenis, of Paris-Meudon Observatory, France, following a suggestion by Prof. M. Fulchignoni.

References