Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund (AS) is an astrophysist serving as the Chair of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center ((Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), and President of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) with the mission of supporting global space governance, promoting the global space economy, and advancing global space interests. She is also a Research Professor of Space Policy and International Affairs at the Space Policy Institute in Washington DC, Professor at Leiden Observatory, NL, and the Chancellor of the International Space University, FR. Her research ranges from biology to astrophysics with special emphasis on astrochemistry and the search for life on Mars. She had contributed as Project Scientist, Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator and Teamleader to ESA and NASA astronomy and planetary missions as well as experiments in low Earth orbit and on the International Space Station. The first female President of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) 2013-2015, Ehrenfreund holds a Master degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Vienna, a PhD in Astrophysics from the University Vienna/Univ. Paris VII, and a Master degree in Management & Leadership from Webster University. Since 1999, the asteroid "9826 Ehrenfreund 2114 T-3" has bore her name. In 2019, she received France's highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour.
Pascale Ehrenfreund Credit: DLR (CC-BY 3.0)