"The question of mankind's place in the vastness of the universe is as old as mankind itself. Through its research on planets inside and outside the solar system and their interactions with the parent stars, the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences is playing a pioneering role in answering this question - in tandem with targeted technological developments. With increasingly multidisciplinary approaches, the Institute will thus also contribute significantly to important core topics of ESA's science program VOYAGE 2050," says Christiane Helling about her move from the University of St Andrews in Scotland to Graz and the future of the Institute.
"The Academy's Space Research Institute has been taking Austria into space for 50 years through its participation in international missions. It has thus made the city of Graz the space capital of the country. This is also a major achievement of its long-time director Wolfgang Baumjohann. Christiane Helling has convinced us with her expertise in the field of exoplanet research, her extensive international experience and her interdisciplinary approach to research. I am sure that as the new director she will further strengthen the Institute's leading position in space research in Austria and beyond," says Anton Zeilinger, OeAW President.
More information is found in an OeAW press release.