BIO

Didier Queloz is a Swiss professor of physics at the Cavendish Laboratory and the University of Geneva. He is a pioneer in the exoplanetary revolution in astrophysics. Until recently, the Solar System was the sole basis of our knowledge about planets and life in the universe. In 1995, Prof. Queloz radically changed this view by discovering, along with Michel Mayor, the first giant planet outside the Solar System. This groundbreaking discovery initiated a true revolution in astronomy, both in terms of new instruments and understanding the formation and evolution of planets.

Over the next 25 years, Didier Queloz contributed to advancements in the detection and measurement of exoplanetary systems to gather information about their physical structure, aiming to better understand their formation and evolution by comparing them with our Solar System. Recently, he has directed his efforts towards detecting Earth-like planets and life on Earth. Throughout his career, he developed astronomical equipment, new observational approaches, and detection algorithms. He participated in and led programs resulting in the discovery of hundreds of planets, including groundbreaking results. He has been involved in numerous documentaries, television articles, and radio interviews to share his excitement and promote interest in science in general, especially its topics.

In 2013, he became a professor at the University of Cambridge, where he leads a comprehensive research program aiming to further our understanding of the formation, structure, and habitability of exoplanets in the Universe, as well as to promote and share the excitement of this work with the public.

For his work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019.