Paola Caselli receives Karl Schwarzschild Medal
The German Astronomical Society (AG) has awarded the prestigious Karl Schwarzschild Medal 2025 to Prof. Dr. Paola Caselli, Director of the Center for astrochemical studies (CAS) at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, for her groundbreaking work in the fields of astrochemistry and star formation.
Paola Caselli’s research focuses on the physico-chemical processes in dense molecular clouds, with particular emphasis on the earliest stages of star and planet formation. Her work has been central to advancing our understanding of how stars and planetary systems begin to form from interstellar material.
With an approach that combines innovative observational techniques, theoretical modelling, and laboratory astrochemistry, Caselli has significantly contributed to uncovering the complex chemical interactions and the crucial role of gas-dust processes in interstellar and protostellar environments.
Since 2014, Paola Caselli has been director of the Center for astrochemical studies. In addition to her leadership at MPE, she is an Honorary Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and a member of the Academy of Europe. Her international career has included research positions at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Leeds, and the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri in Florence.
With this award, the German Astronomical Society recognises Paola Caselli’s outstanding contributions to astrophysics, which have helped shape the modern understanding of how stars and planets come into being.
Karl Schwarzschild Medal
The German Astronomical Society awards the Karl Schwarzschild Medal to recognize outstanding scientific contributions. The awarding of the medal is accompanied by the Karl Schwarzschild Lecture held at the annual meeting of the AG. The award winner is nominated by the AG's Executive Board.
Paola Caselli is not the first researcher at MPE to receive the Karl Schwarzschild Medal. This prestigious award was also given to Reinhard Genzel, director of the Infrared-/submillimeter group, in 2011, and to director emeritus Joachim Trümper in 1994.
