View source for Biography:Pascale Ehrenfreund

{{Short description|Austrian astrophysicist (born 1960)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Pascale Ehrenfreund
| image         = Prof. Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund-3922 (14426463586).jpg
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by the blind and visually impaired's speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software  -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_place   = [[Place:Vienna|Vienna]], Austria
| death_date    = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| death_place   = 
| nationality   = Austrian
| occupation    = CEO of the [[Organization:German Aerospace Center|German Aerospace Center]] <br> President of [[Organization:Committee on Space Research|Committee on Space Research]]<br>Astrophysicist
| years_active  = 1990-present
| employer      = [[Organization:Leiden University|Leiden University]]<br>[[Organization:University of Amsterdam|University of Amsterdam]]<br>George Washington University<br> [[Organization:Radboud University Nijmegen|Radboud University Nijmegen]]<br>[[Organization:Jet Propulsion Laboratory|Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]<br>[[Organization:NASA Astrobiology Institute|NASA Astrobiology Institute]]<br>Austrian Fund for the Promotion of Scientific Research<br>[[Organization:German Aerospace Center|German Aerospace Center]]
| known_for     = Asteroid [[Astronomy:9826 Ehrenfreund|9826 Ehrenfreund]] is named in her honor.
| notable_works = 
| spouse        = 
| alma mater    = [[Organization:University of Vienna|University of Vienna]]<br>University of Paris VII<br>[[Organization:Webster Leiden|Webster Leiden]]}}

'''Pascale Ehrenfreund''' (born 1960) is an Austrian astrophysicist. Ehrenfreund holds degrees from the [[Organization:University of Vienna|University of Vienna]] (Masters, [[Biology:Molecular biology|molecular biology]]; PhD astrophysics, [[Social:Habilitation|habilitation]], [[Chemistry:Astrochemistry|astrochemistry]]) and [[Organization:Webster Leiden|Webster Leiden]] (Masters, management and leadership). Prior to becoming a Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs at George Washington University, she was a professor at [[Organization:Radboud University Nijmegen|Radboud University Nijmegen]], [[Organization:Leiden University|Leiden University]], and [[Organization:University of Amsterdam|University of Amsterdam]] in the Netherlands. She was the first woman president of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and from 2015-2020, she was the CEO of the [[Organization:German Aerospace Center|German Aerospace Center]].<ref name="DLR-Ehrenfreund" /> Since 2019, she is the President of the [[Organization:International Astronautical Federation|International Astronautical Federation]] (IAF) and since 2018, she is the Chancellor of the International Space University (ISU). Since 2021 she is president of the ISU. The main-belt asteroid 9826&nbsp;Ehrenfreund is named in her honor.<ref name="(9826) Ehrenfreund" /> She is the President of [[Organization:Committee on Space Research|Committee on Space Research]] from 2022 to 2026.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/news/new-cospar-president-elected |title= New COSPAR President Elected |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 31 July 2022 |website= [[Organization:Committee on Space Research|Committee on Space Research]] |publisher= |access-date= 8 August 2022 |quote= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/publications/press-releases/new-cospar-president-elected |title= New COSPAR President Elected (press release) |author= <!--Not stated--> |date= 31 July 2022 |website= [[Organization:Committee on Space Research|Committee on Space Research]] |publisher= |access-date= 8 August 2022 |quote= }}</ref>

==Biography==
Pascale Ehrenfreund was born in [[Place:Vienna|Vienna]], Austria, in 1960. She began her university studies at the [[Organization:University of Vienna|University of Vienna]], where she studied [[Astronomy:Astronomy|astronomy]] and biology. She went on to earn a degree in molecular biology at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Salzburg (Austrian Academy of Sciences) in 1988 and then completed her doctorate in [[Physics:Astrophysics|astrophysics]] at the University of Paris VII and the University of Vienna in 1990. Her post-doctorate studies were conducted at the [[Organization:Leiden Observatory|Leiden Observatory]] as a Fellow of the [[Organization:European Space Agency|European Space Agency]] ESA and later at the Service d'Aeronomie, Verrières-le-Buisson, France, as a Fellow of the French space agency [[Organization:CNES|Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES)]]. In 1993, she received the Marie Curie Fellowship by the European Commission. In 1996, she accepted the APART scholarship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences,<ref name=bio-schooling>{{cite news|title=Astrobiologin Ehrenfreund neue FWF-Chefin|url=http://science.orf.at/stories/1719160/|publisher=ORF Science|access-date=27 November 2015|location=Vienna, Austria|language=German|date=7 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220000054/http://science.orf.at/stories/1719160/|archive-date=20 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> to prepare her research in astrochemistry for her habilitation Thesis at the University of Vienna.<ref name="Österreichischen Bibliothekenverbund">{{cite web|last1=Foing-Ehrenfreund|first1=Pascale|title=Kosmischer Staub|url=http://search.obvsg.at/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=ACC&docId=ACC_aleph002572361|publisher=Österreichischen Bibliothekenverbund|access-date=27 November 2015|location=Vienna, Austria|language=German|date=1999}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She earned her [[Social:Habilitation|Habilitation]] degree on the topic of "Cosmic Dust" in 1999<ref name=bio-schooling /> and in 2008 went on to earn a master's degree in Management and Leadership from [[Organization:Webster University|Webster University]] in Leiden, Netherlands.<ref name="NASA Bio" />

Beginning in 1999, she worked at the Leiden Observatory and was a professor at both the [[Organization:University of Amsterdam|University of Amsterdam]] and [[Organization:Leiden University|Leiden University]] in the Netherlands.<ref name=bio-schooling /> She was also a professor at [[Organization:Radboud University Nijmegen|Radboud University Nijmegen]], in the Netherlands.<ref name=elliott.gwu.edu>{{cite web|title=Pascale Ehrenfreund|url=http://elliott.gwu.edu/ehrenfreund|publisher=Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University|access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref> In 2001, she became the head of the Astrobiology Laboratory at Leiden and participated as the teamleader, co-investigator and principal investigator in numerous experiments and space missions sponsored by both ESA and NASA.<ref name="NASA Bio" /> In 2005, Pascale Ehrenfreund came to the United States to work at the [[Organization:Jet Propulsion Laboratory|Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] in Pasadena, California<ref name=bio-schooling /> as distinguished Visiting Scientist. In 2008, she accepted a position as a research professor and policy expert at the Space Policy Institute of George Washington University (GWU) in [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="move to the US">{{cite news|last1=de Selding|first1=Peter B.|title=DLR Picks George Washington Professor To Succeed Woerner|url=http://spacenews.com/dlr-picks-george-washington-professor-to-succeed-woerner/|access-date=27 November 2015|publisher=Space News|date=18 June 2015|location=Alexandria, Virginia}}</ref> and as a senior scientist at the [[Organization:NASA Astrobiology Institute|NASA Astrobiology Institute]]. From 2008 - 2012 she was the project scientist of NASA's O/OREOS satellite.<ref name="German Space Center">{{cite news|title=FWF-Chefin Ehrenfreund wechselt an Deutsches Raumfahrtzentrum - derstandard.at/2000017680579/FWF-Chefin-Ehrenfreund-wechselt-zum-DLR-nach-Deutschland|url=http://derstandard.at/2000017680579/FWF-Chefin-Ehrenfreund-wechselt-zum-DLR-nach-Deutschland|access-date=27 November 2015|publisher=Der Standard|date=19 June 2015|location=Vienna, Austria|language=German}}</ref> Pascale Ehrenfreund has written over 300 scientific research papers, holds an H-index of 70 and published 12 books.<ref name="NASA Bio" />

In 2013, she was selected as the first woman to head the Austrian Science Fund ({{lang-de|Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung}}) (FWF).<ref name="head Austrian Space Agency">{{cite news|title=Astrobiologin führt künftig den FWF|url=http://derstandard.at/1369362900389/Pascale-Ehrenfreund-ist-die-neue-FWF-Praesidentin|access-date=27 November 2015|publisher=Der Standard|date=6 June 2013|location=Vienna, Austria|language=German}}</ref>

From 2015-2020, she was the first woman to lead the [[Organization:German Aerospace Center|German Aerospace Center]] ({{lang-de|Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.}}) (DLR).<ref name="German Space Center" />

The main-belt [[Astronomy:Asteroid|asteroid]], [[Astronomy:9826 Ehrenfreund|9826 Ehrenfreund]] was named in her honor.{{sfn|Schmadel|2012|p=707}}

==Awards==
* 2018 Honorary Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rowden |first1=Pam |title=RAS medals and awards honour leading astronomers and geophysicists |url=https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/ras-medals-and-awards-honour-leading-astronomers-and-geophysicists |access-date=14 February 2022 |work=Royal Astronomical Society |date=12 January 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
* 2011 NASA Group Achievement Award for the O/OREOS satellite mission
* 2001 Pastoor-Schmeits Prize for Astronomy
* 2001 New Impulse Grand, Dutch Government
* 1999 Asteroid 9826 Ehrenfreund 2114 T-3
* 1996 APART Prize, Austrian Academy of Science<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10329/510_read-14467|title=Pascale Ehrenfreund - Chair of the DLR Executive Board - Curriculum vitae|last=DLR|website=DLR Portal|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-04-13}}</ref>

== Active Memberships in Academies and Committees ==
* 2019- President, [[Organization:International Astronautical Federation|International Astronautical Federation]]
* 2016-2019 Vice President, International Astronautical Federation
* 2016- Vice Chancellor, International Space University
* 2015- Vice President, Helmholtz Association (Aeronautics-Space-Transportation)
* 2015- Board of Trustees, University Space Research Association USRA, Region III

==See also==
* [[Astronomy:List of minor planets named after people|List of minor planets named after people]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="(9826) Ehrenfreund">{{cite book
  |last=Schmadel |first=Lutz D.
  |title=Dictionary of Minor Planet Names |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg
  |page=710
  |date=2007
  |isbn=978-3-540-00238-3
  |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_7715
  |chapter = (9826) Ehrenfreund}}</ref>

<ref name="NASA Bio">{{cite web
 |title       = Pascale Ehrenfreund
 |url         = https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/directory/people/ehrenfreund-pascale/
 |publisher   = [[Organization:NASA|NASA]]
 |access-date  = 27 November 2015
 |date        = 27 November 2015
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20151127190150/https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/directory/people/ehrenfreund-pascale/
 |archive-date = 27 November 2015
}}</ref>

<ref name="DLR-Ehrenfreund">{{cite web
  |url         = http://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10081/151_read-13955/#/gallery/19767
  |title       = First woman to head a major German research facility
  |work        = DLR – German Aerospace Center
  |date        = 18 June 2015
  |access-date = 6 January 2016}}</ref>

}} <!-- end of reflist -->

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Schmadel|first=Lutz D.|title=Dictionary of Minor Planet Names|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aeAg1X7afOoC&pg=PA707|year=2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|location=New York|isbn=978-3-642-29718-2}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Pascale+Ehrenfreund&fq=ap%3A%22ehrenfreund+pascale%22&dblist=638&qt=sort&se=yr&sd=asc&qt=sort_yr_asc WordCat Publications]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151127190150/https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/directory/people/ehrenfreund-pascale/ NASA publications list]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrenfreund, Pascale}}
[[Category:Astrobiologists]]

{{Sourceattribution|Pascale Ehrenfreund}}