Mioara Mandea

Mioara Mandea is a distinguished geophysicist currently serving as Solid Earth Programmes Manager at the French Space Center (CNES) in Paris since 2011. She maintains strong academic affiliations with Sorbonne University through her long-standing association with the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), where she held multiple research positions from 1991-2011 including Head of the National Magnetic Observatory (1994-2004). Her career also includes leadership roles at the European Center for the Arctic at Versailles University and the Helmholtz Center in Potsdam.

Her educational background includes dual PhDs in Geophysics (1993 from Bucharest University and 1996 from IPGP) followed by an HDR (Habilitation à diriger les recherches) in Physics of the Earth from Université Paris VII in 2001. This highest French academic qualification authorizes her to supervise doctoral candidates and apply for professorial positions.

Mandea's research spans Earth observation from space, geopotential fields analysis, and geomagnetic field studies using historical archives, modern observatories, and satellite data. She specializes in adapting advanced mathematical tools to analyze magnetic and gravity data, with particular focus on Earth's deep interior, planetary magnetism (Moon, Mars, Mercury), and Arctic region geophysical changes. Her work bridges theoretical geophysics with practical space-based observation techniques.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on integrating satellite-derived gravity and magnetic data to understand Earth's interior dynamics. Her research shows increasing sophistication in mathematical modeling techniques, particularly wavelet analysis and multi-sensor data integration. The publications demonstrate strong international collaboration patterns, with frequent co-authorship across European institutions and the United States.

• Membre associé de l'Académie Royale de Belgique (2018)
• Medal 'Petrus Peregrinus' of European Geosciences Union (2018)
• Chevalier - Ordre National du Mérite (2016)
• Member of Academia Europaea (2015)
• Member of the Bureau des Longitudes (2014)
• International Award of American Geophysical Union (2014)

Mandea has held significant leadership roles in the international geoscience community, including Secretary General of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy since 2009, Chair of the Science Committee at the International Space Science Institute since 2016, and former Secretary General of the European Geosciences Union (2012-2016). She serves on multiple advisory boards for major research projects including EPOS and MED-SUV, and has chaired numerous award committees for the AGU and EGU. Her editorial work includes associate editor roles for Surveys in Geophysics and special issues for Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interior.

Her research has been supported through leadership roles in major international space-based Earth observation initiatives, particularly through her position at CNES where she manages solid Earth science programs. She has contributed to numerous collaborative projects involving satellite missions for geomagnetic and gravity field measurements.