Didier Queloz

Short Bio:

Didier Queloz is Professor of physics at Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory and of astronomy at Geneva University (part time). He is at the origin of the ”exoplanet revolution” in astrophysics when in 1995 during his PhD with his supervisor they announced the first discovery of a giant planet orbiting another star, outside the solar system. This seminal discovery has spawned a revolution in astronomy and kick started the field of exoplanet research. Over the next 25 years, Didier Queloz scientific contributions have essentially been to make progress in detection and measurement capabilities of exoplanet systems with the goal to retrieve information on their physical structure to better understand their formation and evolution by comparison with our solar system. More recently he is directing his activity to the detection of Earth like planets and Universal life. In the course of his career he developed astronomical equipment, new observational approaches and detection algorithms. He participated and he conducted programs leading to the detection of hundred planets, include breakthrough results. He participated to numerous documentaries movies, articles TV and radio interviews to share excitement and pro- mote interest for science in general and particularly topics about exoplanets and life in the Universe.