Professor Françoise Combes is the President of the French Academy of Sciences. Her expertise lies in the formation and evolution of galaxies, dynamics of galaxies, interaction between galaxies and the interstellar medium of galaxies, etc.

Professor Combes graduated from Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), Paris, and obtained her PhD from Paris Diderot University (Paris VII) with a thesis on the Dynamics and structure of galaxies. She has held prestigious positions such as the staff-director of the Physics Laboratory at Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), Paris (1985-1989), and the Astronomer at Paris Observatory (1989-2014) and Vice-President of the Assembly of Professors at Collège de France (2019-2025).

Professor Combes has received numerous honors, including the L'Oreal-Unesco International Award (2021), the Gold Medal of CNRS (2020) and the Commander of the National Order of Merit (2019), etc. Her research has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
 

Education

• Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), Paris
• PhD Thesis, Paris Diderot University (Paris VII): "Dynamics and structure of galaxies"

Experience

• Professor, Collège de France (2014-2025)
• Astronomer, Paris Observatory (1989-2014)
• Staff-director of the Physics Laboratory, Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), Paris (1985-1989)
• Associate-Professor, Ecole Normale Supérieure (Ulm), Paris (1978-1985)

Awards

• Oort Lecture Prize (2023)
• L'Oreal-Unesco International Award (2021)
• Gold Medal of CNRS (2020)
• Commander of National Order of Merit (2019)
• Jules Janssen Medal from SAF (2017)
• Award Gothenburg Lise Meitner (2017)
• Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (2015)
• R.M. Petrie Prize of the Canadian Astronomical Society (2013)
• Award of the Three Scientists, ENS (2012)
• Officier of National Order of Merit (2009)
• Tycho Brahe Prize of the EAS, European Astronomical Society (2009)
• Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (2006)
• Silver Medal of CNRS (2001)
• Prize Petit d'Ormoy of French Academy of Sciences (1993)
• IBM Prize in Physics (1991)

Five Significant Scholarly Outputs

1. Melchior, A-L., Combes, F.: 2025, Nucleus of M31: Upper limits to the molecular and ionised gas content, A and A, 693, A24
2. Poitevineau, R., Combes, F., Garcia-Burillo, S. et al.: 2025, The Galaxy Activity, Torus, and Outflow Survey (GATOS): VI. Black hole mass estimation using machine learning, A and A 693, A311
3. Combes, F., Gupta, N.: 2024, Cold molecules in HI 21-cm absorbers across redshifts 0.1-4, Astron. Astrophys. 683, A20
4. da Silva, P., Combes, F.: 2024, Multiple-scale gas infall through gravity torques on Milky Way twins, A and A, 691, A58
5. Combes, F., Gupta, N., Muller, S. et al.: 2023, PKS 1413+135: OH and HI at z=0.247 with MeerKAT, A and A 671, A43