Professional Overview
For more than forty years, Professor Françoise
Combes has explored how distant galaxies form,
evolve, merge and die. She is an astrophysicist at
Paris Observatory and a professor at the Collège de
France where she has been the chair of galaxies
and cosmology since 2014.
Research Areas
- dynamical evolution and formation of galaxies in
a cosmological context
- galaxy dynamics
- galaxy clusters
- spiral and barred structures
- interactions between galaxies
- multi-wavelength observations
- millimetric radioastronomy
- N-body simulations and hydrodynamics
- black holes in galaxies
- dark matter dynamics
- molecular clouds
- thermodynamics of self-gravity
Awards and Honors
- 2017: The school City of Success of Montpellier was
renamed as High school Françoise Combes
- 2017: Prix Jules Janssen of the Société
astronomique de France, the French astronomical
society.
- 2017: Lise Meitner Prize of the University of
Technology CHALMERS in Gothenburg
- 2017: Honorary member of the American Union of
Astronomy
- 2015: Officer of the French Legion of Honour
- 2013: R.M. Petrie Prize of the Canadian Astronomical
Society
- 2013: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical
Society
- 2012: Prix des Trois Physiciens, ENS
- 2009: Officer of the National Order of Merit
- 2009: Member of the Academia Europaea
- 2003: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical
Society
- 2009: Tycho Brahe Prize of the European
Astronomical Society
- 2006: Knight of the French Legion of Honour
- 2004: Member of the French Academy of Sciences
- 2001: Silver Medal of the CNRS
- 1986: IBM physics prize
Work History
- 1975 – 1978 Assistant-Professor in Ecole Normale
Supérieure (Ulm), Paris
- 1978 – 1985 Associate-Professor in Ecole Normale
Supérieure, Paris
- 1983 – 1985 Part-time lecturer in Paris 6 (C4 and
DEA)
- 1985 – 1989 Staff-director of the Physics Laboratory
in Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), Paris
- 1989 – 1996 Astronomer (2cl) at Paris Observatory
- 1996 – 2006 Astronomer (1cl) at Paris Observatory
- since 2007 Astronomer (CE) at Paris Observatory
Memberships (selection)
- Member of ALMA Program Committee (panel chair)
- Member Committee ERC-Astrophysics (PE9)
- Chair of Committee ANR-Astrophysics
- Vice-President Division VIII (Galaxies & Cosmology) of IAU
- Member of WSRT/LOFAR Program Committee
- Member of the HST Program Committee
- Member of HERSCHEL Program Committee (panel chair)
- Member of IRAM Program Committee
- Scientific Editor of A&A
Role Model
Mentoring women in astronomy
Despite many recent efforts and
improvements achieved on the status of
women in astronomy, most studies continue
to show the same patterns of gender
disadvantages, both horizontally (per
discipline) and vertically (per seniority
level).*
This RAS lecture series offers the chance for early
career members to meet with Francoise Combes
as a leading figure in the field, to ultimately
improve the environment for all astronomers.
Junior researchers are invited to learn about
Francoise Combes' outstanding career and discuss
career issues with her and amongst peers which
young scientists and in particular female
scientists find important. The fact that women still
feel discriminated in terms of pay, recognition,
visibility and awards is telling us that we are far
away from solving the gender related problems.
Meeting female role models has the ability to
build confidence and change aspirations in the
next generation of researchers.
*see also Women in Astronomy working group proceedings
of the IAU, vol. 11
