Dr. Eleni Chatzichristou

Eleni Chatzichristou, Ph.D. is Policy Analyst at the European Research Council Executive Agency (ERCEA), Steering Committee Member at Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage of the International Astronomical Union, and Policy Head for the South Eastern European Hub at the Europlanet Society.

Eleni’s research involves understanding the nature and evolution of Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) using deep panchromatic surveys, investigating the impact of interactions and mergers on galaxy formation and evolution, how non-stellar activity is related to host galaxies and the broader environment, and is specialized in the use of Integral Field Units for spectroscopic mapping of AGN and their hosts.

She is also interested in the implementation of innovative technologies and scientific methodologies in science education and training, and has vast experience with coordinating/participating in several EU-funded projects related to communicating science and astronomy to the public.

Eleni is one of the authors of The great observatories origins deep survey: initial results from optical and near-infrared imaging where she presented initial results from the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) that are primarily, but not exclusively, based on multiband imaging data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

Read The Evolution of Disk Galaxies in the GOODS-South Field: Number Densities and Size Distribution and Obscured active galactic nuclei and the X-ray, optical, and far-infrared number counts of active galactic nuclei in the GOODS fields.

Since 2019 Eleni is Research Policy analyst and advisor at the European Research Council Executive Agency, at the Unit A1 supporting the ERC Scientific Council.

Previously, Eleni was Project Manager of UnivEarthS Laboratoire d’Excellence at the Univ Paris Diderot between 2016 and 2019. The LabEx UnivEarthS combines the scientific expertise, technical know-how, experience in space experiments, and human resources of three major research institutes, Astroparticules et Cosmologie (APC), Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Institute de Recherche sur le lois Fondaementales de l’Univers/ Service d’Astrophysique (AIM), and the French Aerospace Lab (ONERA).

These are international leaders in their disciplinary fields: Earth and environmental sciences, planetary sciences, high energy astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. UnivEarthS aims to develop original interdisciplinary research projects and build an integrated research policy, training and development of high level.

Eleni was also the Representative of APPEC and Greece at the European Particle Physics Communication Network (EPPCN) at CERN between 2014 and 2018. At the AstroParticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC), Eleni was Communications Officer for a year.

Between 2008 and 2013, for almost six years, Eleni was Dean of Academic Affairs at the City Unity College.

Eleni earned her Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Physics from the National University of Athens in 1986. After her graduation, she was Research Fellow at the Observatoire de Paris – Universite Paris VI until 1990, where she earned her Master’s Degree of Science in Statistical and Dynamical Astronomy in 1988. After her Masters she became a Support Astronomer as a Graduate Student at the European Southern Observatory, before going to Universiteit Leiden.

Eleni earned her Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Leiden University in 1999 with her thesis Imaging and Bidimensional Spectroscopy of Active and Interacting Galaxies.

After her Ph.D., she became National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Space Telescope Science Institute until the end of 2001.

In 2002, Eleni became Research Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University for two years, until the end of 2003.

In 2004, she became Researcher at the Ellinogermaniki Agogi in Athens, until she became Postdoctoral Research Fellow at National Observatory of Athens in 2005 until 2008.

She is the author of 23 refereed scientific papers in international journals (more than 900 citations), 41 papers in conference proceedings, more than 200 outreach articles, and one book. She has served as reviewer of NASA’s FUSE Observatory proposals (2000), member of the advising committee for NASA’s “Kronos” mission (2001), and reviewer of NSF research proposals (2006). She has also been Reviewer of Marie Curie research proposals between 2007–2019.

Eleni is a member of the International Astronomical Union, the American Astronomical Society, the Hellenic Astronomical Society, and member of the board of directors of the European Institute for Law, Science and Technology.

Read The Bright Universe.

Visit her LinkedIn profile, Google Scholar page, ResearchGate profile, MyScienceWork profile, Astronomy Tree profile, and Academia profile. Follow her on IAU, iNSPIREhep, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.