Pascale Ehrenfreund
Pascale Ehrenfreund | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 1960 (age 63–64) |
Nationality | Austrian |
Alma mater | University of Vienna Institute of Molecular Biology, Salzburg University of Paris VII Webster Leiden |
Occupation | Astrophysicist |
Years active | 1990-present |
Employer(s) | Leiden University University of Amsterdam Radboud University Nijmegen Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA Astrobiology Institute Austrian Fund for the Promotion of Scientific Research German Aerospace Center |
Known for | Asteroid 9826 Ehrenfreund is named in her honor. |
Spouse | Bernard Foing |
Pascale Ehrenfreund (born 1960 in Vienna) is an Austrian astrophysicist. Ehrenfreund holds degrees from the University of Vienna (Masters, molecular biology; PhD astrophysics, habilitation, astrochemistry), Webster Leiden (Masters, management and leadership). Prior to becoming a Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs at George Washington University, she was a Professor at Radboud University Nijmegen, Leiden University, and University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She was the first woman president of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and in 2015, was elected as CEO for German Aerospace Center, the first woman to lead a major research facility in Germany.[1] The main-belt asteroid 9826 Ehrenfreund is named in her honor.[2]
Biography
Pascale Ehrenfreund was born in Vienna, Austria in 1960. She began her university studies at the University of Vienna, where she studied astronomy and biology. She went on to earn a degree at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Salzburg part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 1988 in molecular biology and then completed her doctorate in astrophysics at the University of Paris VII and the University of Vienna in 1990. Her post-doctorate studies were conducted at the Leiden Observatory as a Fellow of the European Space Agency ESA and later as a Fellow of the French space agency Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), as well as the Marie Curie Fellowship awarded by the European Commission. In 1996, she accepted the APART scholarship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences,[3] to prepare her research in astrochemistry on Cosmic Dust for her habilitation thesis from the University of Vienna.[4] She earned her degree on the topic of "Cosmic Dust" in 1999[3] and in 2008 went on to earn a master's degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University in Leiden, Netherlands.[5]
Beginning in 1999, she worked at the Leiden Observatory and was a professor at both the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University in the Netherlands.[3] She was also a professor at Radboud University Nijmegen, in the Netherlands.[6] In 2001, she became the head of the Astrobiology Laboratory at Leiden and participated as the teamleader, co-investigator and principal investigator in numerous experiments and space missions sponsored by both the ESA and NASA.[5] In 2005, Ehrenfreund came to the United States to work at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California[3] and was the project scientist of NASA’s O/OREOS satellite.[5] In 2008, she accepted a position as a research professor and policy expert at the Space Policy Institute of George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C.[7] and as a senior scientist at the NASA Astrobiology Institute.[8] She chaires the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) panel on exploration. Ehrenfreund has written over 300 scientific research papers, holds an H-index of 59 and published 12 books.[5]
In 2013 she was selected as the first woman to head the Austrian Science Fund (German: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung) (FWF).[9] In July 2015, she accepted an offer to become the first woman to head the German Aerospace Center (German: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.) (DLR).[8] The main-belt asteroid, 9826 Ehrenfreund was named in her honor.[10] Ehrenfreund collaborates with her husband, Bernard Foing of the European Space Agency, in some of her work.[11]
Awards
- 2011 NASA Group Achievement Award for the O/OREOS satellite mission
- 2001 Pastoor-Schmeits Prize for Astronomy
- 2001 New Impulse Grand, Dutch Government
- 1999 Asteroid 9826 Ehrenfreund 2114 T-3
- 1996 APART Prize, Austrian Academy of Science[12]
Memberships in Academies and Committees
- 2016- Vice Chancellor, International Space University
- 2015- Vice President, Helmholtz Association (Aeronautics-Space-Transportation)
- 2015- Board of Trustees, University Space Research Association USRA, Region III
- 2014- Member, International Institute of Space Law IISL
- 2012- Member, NRC Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science CAPS
- 2010- Chair, Committee on Space Research COSPAR Panel on Exploration PEX[13]
See also
References
- ^ "First woman to head a major German research facility". DLR – German Aerospace Center. 18 June 2015. Retrieved January 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|access-date=
(help) - ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (9826) Ehrenfreund. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 710. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved January 2016.
{{cite book}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ a b c d "Astrobiologin Ehrenfreund neue FWF-Chefin" (in German). Vienna, Austria: ORF Science. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ Foing-Ehrenfreund, Pascale (1999). "Kosmischer Staub" (in German). Vienna, Austria: Österreichischen Bibliothekenverbund. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Pascale Ehrenfreund". NASA. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Pascale Ehrenfreund". Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ de Selding, Peter B. (18 June 2015). "DLR Picks George Washington Professor To Succeed Woerner". Alexandria, Virginia: Space News. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ a b "FWF-Chefin Ehrenfreund wechselt an Deutsches Raumfahrtzentrum - derstandard.at/2000017680579/FWF-Chefin-Ehrenfreund-wechselt-zum-DLR-nach-Deutschland" (in German). Vienna, Austria: Der Standard. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Astrobiologin führt künftig den FWF" (in German). Vienna, Austria: Der Standard. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ Schmadel 2012, p. 707.
- ^ Ehrenfreund, Pascale (8 November 2011). "A Multiple-Choice Essay" (PDF). Astrobiology. 11: 737. Bibcode:2011AsBio..11..737E. doi:10.1089/ast.2011.0697. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ DLR. "Pascale Ehrenfreund - Chair of the DLR Executive Board - Curriculum vitae". DLR Portal. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- ^ DLR. "Pascale Ehrenfreund - Chair of the DLR Executive Board - Curriculum vitae". DLR Portal. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
Bibliography
- Schmadel, Lutz D. (2012). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-642-29718-2.
{{cite book}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help)
External links
Media related to Pascale Ehrenfreund at Wikimedia Commons
- WordCat Publications
- NASA publications list
- Living people
- 1960 births
- Astrobiologists
- Austrian astronomers
- Women astronomers
- Austrian non-fiction writers
- Austrian women writers
- University of Vienna alumni
- Webster University alumni
- University of Paris alumni
- George Washington University faculty
- Radboud University Nijmegen faculty
- Leiden University faculty
- University of Amsterdam faculty
- Scientists from Vienna