Research statement

Prof. Olivier Mousis' research focuses on the study of the formation conditions of planetary systems, with particular emphasis on our Solar System. His goal is to establish a link between the present chemical/physical properties of planetary bodies and those associated with the many processes leading to their formation and primordial evolution in protoplanetary disks, using data obtained from spacecraft, ground-based facilities, and laboratory experiments. He is also involved in the design and preparation of robotic missions to explore the outer solar system. He has led a long-term effort to define future space missions that will deliver atmospheric entry probes to the four giants, with a special focus on Saturn (he was the PI of the HERA mission proposal submitted to ESA in response to the M4 and M5 calls) and more recently on the icy giants Uranus and Neptune. Recently, Prof. Mousis has been the Principal Investigator of an international consortium aiming to propose an Enceladus exploration mission in response to ESA's 2022 M-class call (Moonraker mission). 

Prof. Mousis is the laureate of a Fundamental Chair awarded by the Institut Universitaire de France in 2022, and of a Senior Chair of Excellence awarded by the University of Aix-Marseille in 2015. He is also the PI of the FACOM (FAte of the volatile COmpounds at the galilean Moons) consortium funded by the French National Research Agency for the period 2022-2025. He has been elected Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Astronautics in 2024.

Prof. Mousis has authored/co-authored about 270 research papers, and delivered 550+ oral and written contributions at international conferences. Hindex = 66 and 15100+ citations (source Google Scholar, March 2024). 

He is the Director of the Origins institute at Aix-Marseille University.

Key words: solar system – planetary systems – formation – giant planets – moons – comets – exoplanets – solar system exploration