The Polarstern Award 2024 – the Austrian Space Award® – goes to the renowned astrophysicist Prof. Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger. Since 2009, this prize of the Austrian Space Forum (ÖWF) has honored outstanding personalities who have made a special contribution to space research.

An impressive career

Lisa Kaltenegger is one of the world’s leading experts in the field of research into habitable exoplanets. She is developing new methods to identify potentially habitable worlds based on their light signal. Her scientific journey has taken her from NASA and ESA via stations in Austria, the Netherlands, Harvard and Germany to Cornell University, where she now heads the Carl Sagan Institute. She has been awarded numerous international prizes for her groundbreaking work, including the Heinz Meier Leibnitz Prize for Physics and the Doppler Prize for Innovation in Science.

Pioneer, researcher and role model

In his laudatory speech, Dr. Gernot Grömer, OeWF Director, paid tribute to Kaltenegger’s extraordinary commitment:

“Lisa combines scientific excellence with the ability to inspire young people – especially young women – for science.”

In addition to her research work, she is a regular speaker at international events such as TED Youth and the World Science Festival.

The OeWF congratulates Prof. Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger on this award and is proud to honor one of the world’s leading astrobiologists with the Polar Star Award – the Austrian Space Award®.

Further information:
Polar Star Award – The Austrian Space Award
Lisa Kaltenegger

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