Michel G. Mayor

Professor Emeritus. Made the first detection of an extrasolar planet (51 Pegasi) using the Doppler radial velocity technique. With the HARPS system, pushed precision of measurement down to a fraction of a meter/second and initiated new subject of exoplanetology. Discovery of planetary systems outside Solar System led to worldwide development of new techniques, equipment, and satellite observatories to pursue exoplanets.   Recipient of Balzan Prize (2000), Einstein Medal (2004),Gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (2015), Kyoto Prize (2015) and shared Shaw Prize (2005) , Ambartsumian Prize (2010) and BBVA Prize (2012). Foreign member of the french Academy of Sciences, of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Nobel Prize in Physics 2019 (shared with J.Peebles and D.Queloz