ERC: Conny Aerts (KU Leuven) appointed member of the Scientific Council

The European Commission appoints Conny Aerts, a researcher from the Institute of Astronomy at KU Leuven (Belgium) as member of the Scientific Council of the ERC until the end of June 2029, on 01/07/2025.

She replaces Chryssa Kouveliotou, former astrophysicist at Nasa and Professor at George Washington University (US), who stepped down at the end of March 2025. Her first term should have ended on 31/12/2025.

Conny Aerts is a mathematician and astrophysicist known for her work in asteroseismology. She earned her PhD at KU Leuven, where she advanced to Full Professor, and now holds the Chair in Asteroseismology at Radboud University Nijmegen (The Netherlands). She is also an external scientific member of the Max Planck Society (Germany). She has received recognitions including two ERC Advanced Grants and the 2020 FWO Excellence Award.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Start-ups, Research and Innovation, says: "Professor Aerts is an outstanding scientist and a strong voice for European research. Her deep experience and dedication will be a real asset to the ERC Scientific Council. I…