Elsa Huby is an astronomer at the Paris Observatory - PSL, specializing in high-angular-resolution and high-contrast instrumentation. Her research lies at the intersection of physics, optics, and astronomical observation, with the goal of detecting and characterizing planets orbiting other stars in order to better understand their formation.
A graduate of the Institut d’Optique, she completed her thesis on the FIRST project, which employs an interferometric technique based on optical fibers for high-resolution imaging. She then continued her work as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liège, specializing in coronography and high-contrast methods.
In 2017, she joined the Paris Observatory - PSL as an assistant astronomer, where she took over as project lead for FIRST. Her work contributes to the development of new approaches in astrophotonics, particularly for beam recombination using integrated optics or a photonic lantern.
Supported by an ANR Young Researcher grant (2021–2025), this project has opened up new avenues for the study of forming exoplanets. Her research contributes to the development of next-generation instruments for very large telescopes and future missions dedicated to the detection and characterization of exoplanets.
| The Grand Prix Scientifique Each year, the Charles Defforey Foundation – Institut de France awards an internationally recognized Grand Prix Scientifique to support high-level research in a French or foreign laboratory. It recognizes a predefined field of study. For the year 2026, the selected theme is “The Challenges of Scientific Instrumentation.” With a prize fund of 400,000 euros, 90% of the award is allocated to research support, and 10% goes to the principal investigator of the team or laboratory in recognition of their contribution. |