Colloquium
Exoplanets the next frontier

Prof. Didier Queloz

Abstract

 

The diversity and prolific number of planets discovered have revolutionised our conception of the nature planet in the Universe. They have opened up the idea of the possible rarity of planetary systems similar to our own, but also exciting prospects for the potential to probe the atmospheres of planets in search of traces of life. We are living in a historic moment that brings us closer to exploring life in the universe and understanding the origins of life on Earth. The talk will present an overview of current challenges and pathway for detecting Earth-like systems and the idea of prevalence of life in the Universe.

About the talk

Exoplanets the next frontier
Prof. Didier Queloz
Cambridge University
Tuesday October 21, 2025 - 12:00 GMT+1  (Aula)
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About the speaker

Prof Didier Queloz, FRS, is Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy at Cambridge Cavendish Laboratory and part-time professor of physics at ETH- Zurich.
He is at the origin of the ‘exoplanet revolution’ in astrophysics when in 1995 during his PhD with his supervisor they announced the first discovery of a giant planet orbiting another star, outside the solar system. They received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for this spectacular discovery that kick-started the rise of exoplanet research.
Over the next 25 years, Didier Queloz scientific contributions have been to make progress in detection and measurement of exoplanet systems with the goal to retrieve information on their physical structure to better understand their formation and evolution and to compare with our Solar System. He participated and conducted various programs leading to the detection of hundred planets, include many breakthrough results. 
More recently, his activity has focused on the detection of Earth like planets, establishing a comprehensive research program with the goal of making further progress in our understanding of habitability of exoplanets and life in the Universe.
He is the founding director of the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe hosted by Cambridge University and more recently the ETHZ Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life.
In addition to his research and teaching activities, he participates to numerous documentaries movies, articles TV and radio interviews to share excitement and to promote interest for science in general and particularly topics about exoplanets and life in the Universe.