Athena COUSTENIS

Hellenic Space Center • Member of Governing Board

Dr Athena Coustenis (HDR, KLH) is an astrophysicist, Director of Research CNRS at Paris Observatory. She specializes in Planetary Sciences. Her research is devoted to the investigation of planetary atmospheres and surfaces, their origins and evolution, with emphasis on the habitable conditions in the Solar System and beyond. In particular Dr Coustenis is involved in the definition, development and exploitation of space missions to solar system bodies with high astrobiological potential, in particular the exploration of the moons of the giant planets of the solar system and of the exoplanets, by using ground telescopes or space missions. After having worked on several instruments of the Cassini-Huygens mission, and used many observatories, she is currently co-investigator in the JAXA-MMX, ESA-JUICE and ESA-ARIEL missions. She is a member or leader of several advisory and executive committees. Among other: Chair of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection, Chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society (AAS/DPS), President of the Division F of the International Astronomical Union and of the FNRS International Scientific Commission (SEN-2). She is a member of the IAA and IUGG Bureaus and of the French Space Agency (CNES) Committee of Space Programs. She has served in the past in various advisory bodies of European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, NASEM and the European Science Foundation (ESF). In particular, she was the Chair of ESF/European Space Sciences Committee and the Chair of ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC). She is in the Advisory Boards of space institutes of Catalunia, Andalucia, and Sweden. She has written more than 300 scientific articles, numerous chapters in Encyclopedias and co-authored several books.

Events

International Astronautical Congress 2025

29 September - 3 October 2025

Sydney, Australia

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2021

25-29 October 2021

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2019

21-25 October 2019

Washington, United States

Participation:

International Astronautical Congress 2018

1–5 October 2018

Bremen, Germany

Participation: