The CNRS 2020 Gold Medal awarded to astrophysicist Françoise Combes

The gold medal of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS in French), created in 1954, is awarded each year to a scientist who has "made an exceptional contribution to the dynamism and influence of French research".

A great example

In her congratulatory message to the researcher, the French Minister for Research welcomed the fact that Françoise Combes is the third woman scientist in six years to be awarded a gold medal by the CNRS. According to the minister, women researchers who "contribute to spreading the excellence of French research throughout the world" are a "great example to encourage more and more young girls to take up scientific careers".

Brilliant career

Françoise Combes' training and career are exemplary in more than one respect. A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, with an agrégation in physical sciences and a doctorate in astrophysics, Françoise Combes is now a professor at the Collège de France, while continuing her research at Lerma (Laboratoire d'études du rayonnement et de la matière en astrophysique et atmosphères) at the Observatoire de Paris - Paris Sciences et Lettres/CNRS/Sorbonne University/Université de Cergy-Pontoise.

Galactic research

In her career as a researcher, as the CNRS points out, Françoise Combes, a specialist in galaxy dynamics, has brought to light "numerous phenomena that explain their formation and evolution".  Generally speaking, her research focuses "on the formation and changes of galaxies, from their dynamics to their structure, and the interactions between them". Her work has thus made it possible to "understand the connection between the shape of galaxies and their history, and thus to decipher the different stages of galaxy growth throughout the history of the Universe".

International authority

For the President and CEO of the CNRS, who in turn greeted Françoise Combes, the French researcher is an "undisputed scientific leader in extragalactic physics at global scale, as evidenced by her numerous international awards. Her influence extends beyond her disciplinary field to the whole of astronomy". It is therefore "an exceptional scientific career and a remarkable influence" that the CNRS wanted to honour by awarding her its 2020 Gold Medal.