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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
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Wissenschaft
The Royal Astronomical Society and the German Astronomical Society announce that Prof. Dr. Heike Rauer of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Freie Universität Berlin is awarded the 2026 Caroline Herschel Medal. The medal and prize recognise her outstanding contributions to exoplanet science, her leading role in the PLATO mission, and her exceptional service to the astronomical community.
Her research has significantly advanced the detection and characterisation of extrasolar planets, with particular emphasis on terrestrial planets and planetary atmospheres. As Principal Investigator of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) PLATO mission, she has provided decisive scientific and organisational leadership. This includes the coordination of the international consortium of research institutes responsible for delivering the PLATO instrument and major scientific ground segment contributions, enabling the integrated exploitation of exoplanet discovery and stellar asteroseismology. She has also played a key role in the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), exemplifying successful UK–German collaboration in ground-based exoplanet research. In addition, Prof. Dr. Heike Rauer is recognised for her sustained commitment to mentoring and for her leadership within the astronomical community.
Prof. Dr. Heike Rauer studied Physics at the University of Hannover, graduating in 1986. She went on to complete her PhD at the University of Göttingen in 1991, writing her dissertation on cometary plasma tails while working at the former Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy (now the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research) in Katlenburg-Lindau. From 1995 to 1997, she held an ESA research fellowship at the Observatoire de Paris–Meudon. She then returned to Germany to join the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Berlin.
While continuing her research at DLR, she obtained her habilitation from the Technische Universität Berlin in 2004 and subsequently taught at the university’s Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics as Professor of Planetary Physics. From 2005 to 2017, she headed the DLR Extrasolar Planets and Atmospheres Department. In 2017, she became the head of the Institute of Planetary Research of DLR and joined the Department of Geosciences at Freie Universität Berlin, where her work focuses on planetary geophysics. Since 2025, she works for the DLR board as advisor for ESA matters.
Since 2013, Prof. Dr. Heike Rauer has served as Head of the instrument consortium for PLATO. PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) is an ESA space mission designed to discover and characterise planets outside our Solar System, especially Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars. The mission’s main goal is to detect exoplanets using the transit method. PLATO is planned to launch in 2027.
Established in 2021, the Caroline Herschel Medal and Prize honors the legacy of pioneering astronomer Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), who made groundbreaking discoveries, including several comets. The award recognises exceptional female astronomers based in the United Kingdom or Germany, reinforcing the commitment of both societies to promoting gender diversity in the field of astronomy and space sciences. The award not only celebrates individual excellence but also highlights the important role of women in advancing our understanding of the universe.
Heike Rauer joins an esteemed group of past recipients, including Linda Tacconi, Gillian Wright, Eva Grebel, and Prof. Dr. Isobel Hook.
The medal and prize will be formally presented at a ceremony on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 at the British Embassy in Berlin, where Prof. Rauer will deliver a keynote address on her research.
Prof. Dr. Heike Rauer
Copyright: AG/ H. Rauer
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