Cesarsky wins 2020 Tate Award

Astrophysicist Catherine Cesarsky was selected as the winner of the 2020 Tate Award for International Leadership in physics, according to an announcement by The American Institute of Physics (AIP).

Cesarsky said winning the award surprised her.

“Receiving the Tate award was a lovely surprise,” Cesarsky said in the news release. “Having had the luck of being a graduate student and a postdoc in the U.S., I am always happy when I see I am remembered in this hospitable country."

The award was named after John Torrence Tate, who was a celebrated American physicist.

Cesarsky won the award for her leadership in bringing together some important international astronomical observatories, as well as her approach to political leaders across Europe, as well as specifically in France and in Chile. She was also recognized for her service as president of the International Astronomical Union.

Cesarsky will accept the award during the European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting later this year in the Netherlands.

“I am delighted to congratulate Dr. Cesarsky on receiving the Tate Award as recognition of her accomplishments on a multitude of international projects,” AIP CEO Michael Moloney said in the news release. “Catherine is extremely well respected on the global stage, and this award is only a small token of appreciation for decades of contributions to the that science community. I was honored over a number of years to see her leadership in action in her work with the international Committee on Space Research.” 

David Helfand, chair of the AIP board of directors, said in the news release that Cesarsky played a large role in building and using many astronomical instruments.

“Her consummate diplomatic skills were crucial in shepherding the sometimes fractious international partners of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array consortium toward creation of one of the marvels of modern science, and her visionary launch of studies for the European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope will yield enormous benefits for our exploration of the universe throughout this century," Helfand said in the news release.