Magali Deleuil

Magali Deleuil is a Professor at Aix-Marseille Université and a renowned astrophysicist specializing in exoplanets. She has participated in four major space missions: CoRoT (2006), PLATO (launch scheduled for 2026), CHEOPS (2020), and early work on FUSE in the 1990s. Her research focuses on exoplanet detection, circumstellar disks, and planetary structure modeling.

Education:

• PhD in 1991 from Université de Provence Aix-Marseille I (now Aix-Marseille Université), thesis on evolved stars.

Research Interests: She combines observational and theoretical approaches to study exoplanet populations, planetary formation mechanisms, and stellar astrophysics. Her work on CoRoT led to the discovery of the first rocky super-Earth. Current projects include PLATO’s search for Earth-like planets and CHEOPS’s analysis of planetary architectures.

Awards:

• 2023 CNES Prize for outstanding contributions in astrophysics and space sciences.
• Three IUF Delegations (2009, 2016, 2021), reducing teaching duties to prioritize research.

Advising & Grants: Supervised two theses exploring planetary composition models. Coordinates French efforts in PLATO and contributed software to CHEOPS. Active in securing CNES and ESA mission funding.

Labs & Teams: Founder of the Origins Institute (2021) and Deputy Director of Research & Development at Aix-Marseille Université. Leads teams at the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory (AMU/CNRS).