Veronique Dehant

The 2024 Jean Dominique Cassini Medal & Honorary Membership is awarded to Veronique Dehant for her major discoveries and ground-breaking research in the field of planetary science and geodesy, and outstanding contribution to international space missions.

Veronique Dehant is a globally renowned scientist recognised for her pivotal contributions to the knowledge of the inner structure and dynamics of planetary bodies. Over the years, she has made transformative strides in decoding the Earth’s rotation. This has culminated in international acclaim for her research findings. Her expertise and stellar reputation are further evidenced by her securing recently two prestigious European Research Council grants within the span of five years. These were awarded for her projects on the “Rotation and Nutation of a Wobbly Earth” (ERC Advanced grant, 2015) and the “Deep Interior of the Earth: A Synergistic Analysis Using Observations of its Magnetic, Gravity Fields, and Rotation” (ERC Synergy grant, 2020). Additionally, she is a crucial partner in the Seventh Framework Project of the European Commission project “ESPaCE” (European Satellite Partnership for Computing Ephemerides).

Her involvement and influential role in international space missions range from instruments on Venus Express, BepiColombo and the recently launched Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission aimed at the Jupiter System. Furthermore, she spearheads the LaRa (Lander Radioscience) for ESA’s Exomars mission. Currently, Veronique Dehant holds the esteemed position of Principal Investigator for the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Transmitter instrument, set to be a part of the Earth ‘GENESIS’ mission scheduled for a 2027 launch by the European Space Agency.

As an accomplished scientist, she has authored and co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, with an impressive H-index of 53. Her proficiency extends to scientific management, having held pivotal roles in committees spanning the European Space Agency, Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales, and the International Astronautical Union. She served as a member or chair of several international research committees at the International Association of Geodesy, the Earth Science Advisory and Space Science Advisory committees of the European Space Agency, the Science Program Committee of the Centre National D’Etudes Spatiale, and in the Scientific Council of the International Space Science Institute.

Throughout her illustrious career, Dehant has amassed a plethora of awards and honours, symbolising her unmatched contributions to research. Her research excellence, involvements in space missions, international reputation and extensive science management experience make her a great ambassador for the EGU. It is without a doubt that Veronique Dehant is an ideal candidate for the Jean Dominique Cassini Medal, in recognition of her numerous achievements.