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2016 Early Career Award

Inaugural LAD Early Career Award Goes to François Lique
François Lique

The Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is pleased to announce that its inaugural Early Career Award, given to an individual who has made significant contributions to laboratory astrophysics within 10 years of earning a PhD, goes to Dr. François Lique of the University of Le Havre, France, for his numerous contributions to the study of interstellar processes through theoretical calculations of rate coefficients for the collisional excitation of interstellar molecules by the most abundant neutral species.

Lique uses sophisticated theoretical methods in quantum chemistry for interpreting astronomical observations of interstellar molecules. A major focus of his research involves characterizing the potential-energy surfaces associated with collisions and reactions occurring in space. His calculations, done while working closely with experimentalists and observers, provide insight into the rich chemistry occurring in interstellar clouds and stellar atmospheres.

Lique received his PhD in physics from the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France. He then joined the research group of Prof. Millard H. Alexander as a postdoctoral fellow in the Chemistry Department of the University of Maryland. His previous honors include the Young Researcher Prize of the French Astronomical and Astrophysical Society in 2014. Since joining the faculty at the University of Le Havre, he has trained several graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

The LAD Early Career Award includes a check, a framed certificate, and an invited lecture by the recipient at a meeting of the Laboratory Astrophysics Division.

Contacts:
Farid Salama
LAD Chair / NASA Ames Research Center, California
+1 650-604-3384
ladchair@aas.org

Steven Federman
LAD Past-Chair / University of Toledo, Ohio
+1 419-530-2652
ladpastchair@aas.org

Daniel Wolf Savin
LAD Secretary / Columbia University, New York
+1 212-854-4124
ladsec@aas.org

François Lique
Universite du Havre, France
+33 2 35 21 71 35
francois.lique@univ-lehavre.fr

The AAS Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD, http://lad.aas.org) advances our understanding of the universe through the promotion of fundamental theoretical and experimental research into the underlying processes that drive the cosmos.

The American Astronomical Society (AAS, http://aas.org), established in 1899 and based in Washington, DC, is the major organization of professional astronomers in North America. The mission of the AAS is to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe.