2026 LAD Mid-Career Award Goes to François Lique
The Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is presenting its 2026 Mid-Career Award to Dr. François Lique of the Université de Rennes. The award recognizes his major contributions to the calculation of collisional excitation and reactive rate coefficients for molecules of astrochemical relevance.
The LAD Mid-Career Award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field from 11 – 20 years of receiving their Ph.D. (allowing for career interruptions). This is the inaugural year for the mid-career award. François Lique’s research mainly focuses on the modeling of physico-chemical processes of astrophysical interest and its applications. The determination of highly accurate molecular data for astrophysical applications requires, in many cases, the use of complex methods. François Lique uses the most accurate quantum methods in order to generate collisional energy transfer and kinetics’ molecular data of high accuracy. During the last recent year, he has developed new scattering methodologies based on statistical approaches and has enabled the calculations of collisional data for highly reactive molecules and well as for collisional systems of cometary interest.
After receiving his Ph.D. in 2006 at the Paris Observatory in France, François Lique spends 2 years at University of Maryland (USA). In 2008, he was appointed as lecturer at the University of Le Havre Normandie (France). In 2017, he was promoted to a full professor position and in 2020, he joined the University of Rennes in France.
So far, François Lique has published more than 240 peer reviewed articles and given more than 70 invited lectures or seminars. He has supervised 13 PhD students and 12 postdocs. He has organized many international and national workshops. In 2014, he was awarded the young researcher price of the French astronomical society and in 2016, he received the Early Career award for the AAS Laboratory Astrophysics Division. In 2017, he was elected junior fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) and in 2018, he obtained a European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant. In 2024, he was elected senior fellow of the IUF.
The LAD Mid-Career Award includes a cash award, a framed certificate, and an invited lecture by the recipient at a meeting of the Laboratory Astrophysics Division.
Contacts:
Stefanie N. Milam
LAD Past Chair
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
+1 (240) 419-1796
Dennis Bodewits
LAD Secretary
Department of Physics
Auburn University
+1 (334) 844-4274
Catherine M. Deibel
LAD Executive Committee Member-At-Large
Department of Physics & Astronomy
Louisiana State University
+1 (225) 578-4950
François Lique
Professor
Institut de Physique de Rennes
Université de Rennes
+33 (0)2 23 23 50 70
The AAS Laboratory Astrophysics Division (LAD) advances our understanding of the Universe through the promotion of fundamental theoretical and experimental research into the underlying processes that drive the cosmos, in collaboration with astronomical observations and other complementary fields.
The American Astronomical Society (AAS), 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.