Françoise Combes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Françoise Combes
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| Born | 12 August 1952 |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | École Normale Supérieure, Paris Diderot University |
| Awards | CNRS Gold medal, L'Oréal-UNESCO International Prize for Women in Science |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | Observatoire de Paris |
| Doctoral students | Fabienne Casoli |
Françoise Combes (born 12 August 1952) is a famous French astrophysicist. She works at the Paris Observatory and is a professor at the Collège de France. Since 2014, she has led the department of Galaxies and Cosmology there.
In 2017, a school in Montpellier, France, was named 'High school Françoise Combes' in her honor.
Contents
Becoming an Astronomer
Françoise Combes studied at a top school called École normale supérieure from 1971 to 1975. In 1975, she earned a special teaching degree called the Agrégation. She also got her PhD in Physics from Paris Diderot University. Her PhD work focused on how galaxies move and are structured.
What Françoise Combes Studies
Françoise Combes studies how galaxies form and change over time. This is a big part of understanding the universe.
Galaxy Shapes and Interactions
She looks at how galaxies move and what shapes they have. This includes spiral galaxies and barred spiral galaxies. She also studies how galaxies interact with each other. She uses both powerful telescopes to observe them and computer models to simulate them.
Gas and Star Formation
A lot of her work is about the gas and dust found between stars in galaxies. This is called the interstellar medium. She is especially interested in molecular gas, which is where new stars are born. She studies this gas in nearby galaxies like Andromeda. She also looks at it in very distant galaxies.
Dark Matter and Gravity
Françoise Combes has also explored ideas about dark matter. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that scientists believe makes up a large part of the universe. She also looks at other ways to explain gravity. She worked with another scientist, Daniel Pfenniger. They developed a model that suggests some missing dark matter might be in the form of cold molecular gas.
Awards and Recognitions
Françoise Combes has received many important awards and honors for her work.
- 2023: Oort Lecture Prize
- 2023: Chosen as an international member of the US Academy of Sciences (NAS)
- 2022: Nick Kylafis Lectureship
- 2022: Karl Jansky Lecturer
- 2021: L'Oréal-UNESCO International Prize for Women in Science
- 2021: American Astronomical Society Fellow
- 2020: Gold Medal of the CNRS (a top French science award)
- 2019: Commander of the National Order of Merit (a high French honor)
- 2017: The school City of Success of Montpellier was renamed High school Françoise Combes
- 2017: Prix Jules Janssen from the French Astronomical Society
- 2017: Lise Meitner Prize from the University of Technology CHALMERS
- 2017: Honorary member of the American Astronomical Society
- 2015: Officer of the French Legion of Honour (another very high French honor)
- 2013: R.M. Petrie Prize from the Canadian Astronomical Society
- 2013: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
- 2012: Prix des Trois Physiciens
- 2009: Officer of the National Order of Merit
- 2009: Member of the Academia Europaea
- 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
Books by Françoise Combes
Françoise Combes has written many scientific articles and several books. Some of her books in English include:
- Active Galactic Nuclei, 2022
- Active Galactic Nuclei: fueling and feedback, December 2021
- Galaxies, 2021
- The Milky Way (with James Lequeux), 2016
- Mysteries Of Galaxy Formation, 2010
- The Cold Universe (with Andrew W. Blain), 2004
- Galaxies and Cosmology (with Patrick Boissé), 2nd Ed 2004
Images for kids
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