معرفی
Prof. dr. Amina Helmi is a Professor of Dynamics, Structure, and Evolution of the Milky Way at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, part of the University of Groningen's Faculty of Science and Engineering. She is a leader in Galactic Archaeology, studying the Milky Way's formation through stellar fossils using data from missions like Gaia.
Education & Career: Helmi earned her PhD in Astronomy from Leiden University (2000) with a thesis on Galactic halo formation. She has held professorial roles since 2003 and secured significant grants, including an ERC Starting Grant (2009) and Vici grant (2015). She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities.
Research Interests: Her work focuses on Milky Way formation, dark matter distribution, and galactic dynamics. She leads studies using Gaia data to map stellar motions and uncover merger histories, such as the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus (GSE) event. Her team explores dark matter's role in shaping galactic structures and dynamics.
Awards & Recognition: Helmi won the prestigious Spinoza Prize (2019), the Christiaan Huygens Prize (2004), and was knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion (2021). She is a delegate for the Netherlands in the ESO Council and chairs national astronomy committees.
Advising & Collaboration: She has mentored numerous PhD and master’s students, including H. Koppelman, J. Hagen, and current advisees E. Wempe and O. Koop. Her international collaborations include leading roles in Gaia data analysis and the Euclid mission.
Labs & Teams: Helmi’s research group at the Kapteyn Institute works on Galactic dynamics, Gaia data validation, and multi-object spectroscopy projects like WEAVE and 4MOST.
