GILLON Michaël
Professeur
Directeur de recherches FNRS & Fonds assoc.
Faculté des Sciences
Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO)
Exoplanets in Transit: Identification and Characterization
Faculté des Sciences
Département d'astrophysique, géophysique et océanographie (AGO)
Astrobiology
- ULiège address
-
Bât. B5C ExoTIC
Quartier Agora
Allée du six Août 19c
4000 Liège 1
Belgique
- ULiège phone number
- +32 4 3669743
-
Captcha : Put the image in the right direction
- Conseil sectoriel à la recherche et à la valorisation
- Sciences et Techniques
- Personal website (s)
- ASTROBIOLOGY Research Unit
- Personal website (s)
- SPECULOOS (Search for habitable Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars)
- Personal website (s)
- TRAPPIST - TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope
- Personal website (s)
- EXOTIC Research Group
- Twitter Link
- https://x.com/Michael59607421
- Bluesky Link
- https://bsky.app/profile/mgillon.bsky.social
Biography
Michaël Gillon is an astrophysicist and FNRS Research Director at the University of Liège. He is notably known for having led the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, which consists of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting an ultracool dwarf star located about 40 light-years away. This remarkable system is now considered one of the most promising laboratories for the study of potentially habitable planets and the search for biosignatures.
After completing studies in biochemistry and then astrophysics at the University of Liège, Michaël Gillon carried out his postdoctoral research at the Geneva Observatory within the team of Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, pioneers of exoplanet discoveries and recipients of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics.
His research focuses on the detection and characterization of exoplanets, particularly those of terrestrial size. He has led several pioneering programs in this field, including the first detection of the transit of a Neptune-size exoplanet in 2007, the first measurement of the thermal emission of a ¿super-Earth¿ in 2010, the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system in 2017, and the thermal mapping of temperate rocky planets in 2025.
In 2009, he initiated the TRAPPIST project and has led its exoplanet science program since 2010. Since 2012, he has been the principal investigator of the SPECULOOS project, an international network of robotic telescopes dedicated to the detection of potentially habitable planets around the coldest and nearest stars to the Sun. These planets represent prime targets for atmospheric studies with cutting-edge instruments such as the James Webb Space Telescope.
Author of more than 600 scientific publications in international journals and recipient of numerous prestigious awards, Michaël Gillon was recognized in 2017 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine. He is today a leading contributor to exoplanet research and a regular invited speaker at scientific conferences and public events around the world.
Research field
- Astronomie
- Astrophysique
Duties or mandates
- FNRS Research Director
Scientific distinctions
- Francqui Prize (2021)
- NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal (2018)
- NASA Group Achievement Award (2018)
- Balzan Prize for the Sun's Planetary System and Exoplanets (2017)
- Paul and Marie Stroobant Prize in Observational Astronomy, Royal Belgium Academy of Science (2011)
- Walter Verly and Marcel Florkin Prizes, University of Liège (2002)
ULiège Course
Astrobiology, 45h Th, BARTIK Kristin, CARDOL Pierre, DEBAILLE Vinciane, GILLON Michaël, JAVAUX Emmanuelle, LARA Yannick, NAZÉ Yaël, VANDAELE Ann-Carine, WILMOTTE Annick
Introduction to exoplanetology, 20h Th, 10h Pr, ABSIL Olivier, GILLON Michaël
Related content
- New insights into DAWS, a rare and severe neurological syndrome
- First Thermal Mapping of Temperate Earth-sized Exoplanets
- Detection of an Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting the ultracool dwarf star SPECULOOS-3
- Exoplanets and life in the Universe (FRENCH)
- Trappist-1b and c: atmospheres or not?
- TRAPPIST and SPECULOOS observatories help discover LP791-18d, an exo-Earth potentially riddled with volcanoes
- Michaël Gillon élu "Wallon de l'année 2021"
- TRAPPIST-1 is five years old
- ULiège astronomers contribute to the discovery of a new exotic world
- JWST: an ambitious scientific space mission in which the University of Liege is participating
- Le Francqui pour les exoplanètes
- The prestigious Francqui Prize 2021 awarded to Michaël Gillon for his revolutionary discoveries in astronomy
- The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositions
- SPECULOOS telescopes pinpoint a rare eclipsing binary brown dwarf
- ULiège takes part in the CHEOPS mission
- TOI-270 and its 3 worlds: an interesting new target in the study of exoplanets
- Michaël Gillon and the "TRAPPIST-1 science team" awarded by the NASA
- The SPECULOOS South observatory on the hunt for habitable exoplanets
- ULiège TRAPPIST telescopes among TESS' ground supports
- What have we learned about TRAPPIST-1 during this last year?
- TRAPPIST-1 is gradually emerging
- Io, Europa’s young brother is installed
- Michaël Gillon
- De l’eau sur les planètes du système TRAPPIST-1 ?
- The unique architecture of TRAPPIST-1
- The seven wonders of TRAPPIST-1
- A trio of Earth size planets at 40 light years
- The exoplanets orbiting the TRAPPIST-1 star deliver new secrets
- Two ULiège astrophysicists supported by the European Research Council to detect exoplanets comparable to the Earth
- Liège astrophysicists in seventh heaven
