Aghanim Nabila

Aghanim Nabila

Category : Astronomy - Aeronautics - Space Science - Sea Science

AGHANIM Nabila

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Research Director in Astrophysics

Institute of Space Astrophysics (CNRS/University Paris-Saclay), France

Origins & Education

Nabila Aghanim was born in 1969 in Algiers, Algeria. Her interest in astronomy and astrophysics manifested very early in her life, at the age of nine, after reading a book explaining the formation of the Earth-Moon system. This discovery was decisive in orienting her towards the study of the Universe.

She pursued her studies in Algeria, where she obtained a scientific baccalaureate in 1988, followed by a higher education diploma (DES) in physics. Determined to deepen her knowledge in astrophysics, she moved to France in 1993 to pursue a Master's degree in Astrophysics and Space Instrumentation in Paris.

In 1996, she defended her doctoral thesis entitled "Contribution to the study of secondary anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background" under the supervision of Jean-Loup Puget at the University of Paris-Diderot. This thesis marked the beginning of her research on the cosmic microwave background, which would become one of her main areas of expertise.

After her thesis, she held a position as a temporary teaching and research assistant (ATER) at the University of Paris-Sud (now University Paris-Saclay) for one year. In 1997, she left for a post-doctoral position at the University of California, Berkeley, but could only stay for six months due to residency rights issues related to her Algerian nationality. She then continued her post-doctoral work at the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), working between the Institute of Astrophysics of Paris and the Institute of Space Astrophysics (IAS) in Orsay.

Scientific Career

Nabila Aghanim's scientific career truly took off in 1999, when she was recruited as a research fellow at CNRS, at the Institute of Space Astrophysics in Orsay. Her scientific excellence and leadership allowed her to advance to the position of CNRS research director in 2010, confirming her status as a leading researcher in the field of cosmology.

Throughout her career, she also assumed important administrative responsibilities, successively occupying the positions of deputy director of the Institute of Space Astrophysics, then director of the Paris-Sud Observatory of Universe Sciences (which became the Paris-Saclay Observatory of Universe Sciences) from 2017 to 2021.

Nabila Aghanim is recognized as one of the pillars of the Planck mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), which aims to unravel the mysteries of the primordial Universe and to understand the evolution of cosmic structures. For more than a decade, she coordinated the team responsible for exploiting data from this mission to study galaxy clusters, hot diffuse gas, and reionization. This work led to the discovery of hundreds of new galaxy clusters, allowing precise measurements of cosmological parameters.

Her research lies at the interface between theories and observations made by radio telescopes. She specializes in the interpretation of the cosmic microwave background, the electromagnetic background that is a remnant of the Big Bang, which provides information about the initial conditions of the Universe, its age, and its structure. She is also interested in galaxy clusters and large-scale structures of the Universe.

Within the Planck collaboration, she works specifically on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect, a physical phenomenon that allows the detection of galaxy clusters through their imprint on the cosmic microwave background. She also participates in other major international projects, notably ESA's Euclid space telescope, which aims to elucidate the question of dark energy, one of the greatest enigmas of contemporary astrophysics. She is also involved in the European network of radio telescopes LOFAR.

One of the major achievements of Nabila Aghanim and her team at the Institute of Space Astrophysics is the evidence, for the first time, of the hidden matter of the Universe, a fundamental discovery for our understanding of cosmic structure and evolution.

Her research work has led her to collaborate with prestigious institutions around the world, notably during stays at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and the Tokyo Observatory in Japan.

Distinctions & Recognition

The excellence of Nabila Aghanim's work has been recognized by several prestigious distinctions throughout her career:

  • 2005: CNRS Bronze Medal, Universe Science section. This distinction rewards the first work of a promising researcher in their field.
  • 2017: CNRS Silver Medal. This award, given annually to about fifteen researchers, distinguishes a scientist for the originality, quality, and importance of their work, recognized nationally and internationally.
  • 2022: Huy Duong Bui Grand Prize from the Academy of Sciences, further recognition of the importance of her contributions to astrophysics and cosmology.

She is also the recipient of an ERC Advanced Grant, one of the most prestigious research grants in Europe, for her work on the characterization of baryons in the cosmic web. This grant, awarded by the European Research Council, supports high-level exploratory research projects.

These distinctions testify to the recognition by the international scientific community of the importance and originality of Nabila Aghanim's work, as well as her major role in advancing our understanding of the Universe.

Impact & Influence

Nabila Aghanim's scientific impact is considerable in the field of observational cosmology. Her work on the cosmic microwave background and the large-scale structures of the Universe has significantly contributed to our understanding of the origin, structure, and evolution of the Universe.

Her contribution to the Planck mission has been crucial for the success of this major project of the European Space Agency. The data collected and analyzed under her direction have refined our knowledge of fundamental cosmological parameters, such as the age of the Universe, its composition, and its rate of expansion. The discovery of hundreds of new galaxy clusters through this data has enriched our mapping of the Universe on a large scale.

The evidence of the hidden matter of the Universe by her team represents a major advancement in our understanding of cosmic structure. This discovery contributes to solving one of the great mysteries of modern astrophysics: the nature and distribution of dark matter and dark energy, which together constitute more than 95% of the energy content of the Universe.

Her involvement in the development of the Euclid satellite demonstrates her will to push the boundaries of knowledge to elucidate the question of dark energy, considered one of the greatest enigmas of contemporary physics.

Beyond her direct scientific contributions, Nabila Aghanim has exerted an important influence through her leadership responsibilities, notably as director of the Paris-Saclay Observatory of Universe Sciences. In this role, she has contributed to guiding research and training the next generation of researchers in astrophysics.

Her exceptional journey, from Algeria to the highest spheres of international research in astrophysics, makes her an inspiring model, particularly for young scientists and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In 2015, she shared her expertise during a conference entitled "Brief overview of astrophysics" on Algerian national radio, thus contributing to the dissemination of scientific knowledge to a wider audience.

Through her discoveries and scientific leadership, Nabila Aghanim has not only advanced our understanding of the Universe but has also helped strengthen the position of women in the field of astrophysics and inspire the next generation of researchers.

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