Ewine van Dishoeck awarded Niels Bohr International Gold Medal

Leiden professor of molecular astrophysics and astrochemistry Ewine van Dishoeck received the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal. The medal was presented by Queen Margrethe of Denmark at a ceremony at the Carlsberg Academy in Copenhagen.

Van Dishoeck's work focuses on some of humanity's greatest questions: “Are we alone in the universe?” And, “How did our planet and life on it come to be?” In her research, she addresses these questions on a scientific basis of atomic and molecular processes. For example, her research draws a direct line from Niels Bohr's pioneering work on the atomic model to current astronomical research on other worlds that form around distant stars.

Borders

With her work, Van Dishoeck has continuously pushed the technological boundaries for astronomical observations, space missions and laboratory experiments. She is regarded as a pioneer in the field of molecular astrophysics and astrochemistry and is one of the most highly cited researchers in this field internationally.

Telescopes

She has also played a leading role in the development of large telescopes on Earth and in space, including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the James Webb Space Telescope, which launched on Christmas Day 2021 and has been providing spectacular images and generating data for several months. She has also been president of the International Astronomical Union, which represents more than 10,000 astronomers from nearly 100 countries, and scientific director of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA).

Van Dishoeck is the thirteenth in a row of notable physicists and engineers to receive the medal. The prize was established in 1955 as a tribute to the Danish Nobel laureate Niels Bohr. She joins a prominent group of winners, as the medal has been awarded to no fewer than nine Nobel laureates over the years. Ewine van Dishoeck previously received the Kavli Prize, which is awarded for remarkable scientific breakthroughs in the fields of astrophysics, nanosciences and neurosciences.

This year's award is a collaboration between the Danish Association of Engineers, IDA, the Niels Bohr Institute, the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University and the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. In addition to the medal, the prize is accompanied by an amount of 100,000 euros, donated by the Carlsberg Foundation.