Ewine van Dishoeck is professor of molecular astrophysics at Leiden University, the Netherlands. Graduated from Leiden in 1984, she held positions at Harvard University, Princeton University and Caltech University before returning to Leiden in 1990. The work of her group innovatively unites the world of chemistry with that of physics and astronomy. She has been heavily involved in planning major new telescopes, and has been fortunate to receive many awards, including the 2018 Kavli Prize for Astrophysics, the 2015 Albert Einstein World Award of Science, and the 2018 James Craig Watson Medal of the National Academy of Sciences. She is a Member or Foreign Associate of several academies, including that of the Netherlands, USA, Germany and Norway.
Since 2007, she is the scientific director of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA). From 2018 – 2021, van Dishoeck serves as the President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), an ISC Member, the worldwide organization of professional astronomers. Van Dishoeck has a passion for outreach to the general public and a special interest in art and astronomy.