Earth Science and Climate Change

Biography

ATHENA COUSTENIS is director of research with the National Centre for Scientific Research of France, based at Paris Observatory in Meudon. She earned her Ph.D. in astrophysics and space techniques from the University of Paris. She works in the field of planetology. Her research focuses on the use of ground and space-based observatories to study solar system bodies. Her current interests include planetary atmospheres and surfaces, with particular emphasis on the satellites of the giant planets. Her research focuses on astrobiological aspects and search for habitable worlds in the Solar System and beyond. Her studies in comparative planetology touch on the subject of climate changes that could help understand the long-term evolution on our own planet. She is also interested in the characterization of the atmospheres of extrasolar planets. In recent years she has been leading efforts to define and select future space missions to be undertaken by the European Space Agency (ESA) and its international partners. She was the President of the IUGG International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences. She is currently the Chair of the European Science Foundation’s Space Science Committee.

Research Interest

Astronomy (Planetary) and Space Sciences