Expertise
Astronomy, astro-archaeology, formation of the Milky Way
Curriculum Vitae
Amina Helmi (1970) is Associate Professor of Dynamics, Structure and Formation of the Milky Way.
Helmi wrote a groundbreaking PhD thesis (for which she was awarded the 2004 Christiaan Huygens Prize), shedding new light on the history and formation of the Milky Way
by stating that it probably gradually merged with smaller galaxies.
Helmi is searching for these separate galaxies (‘fossils’) and is thus a sort of astro-archeologist, using the information from star fossils to reconstruct the formation of the Milky Way.
Helmi has been awarded a number of prestigious grants, including an NWO VIDI grant in 2003 and an ERC Starting Grant from the EU in 2009.
The ERC Starting Grant is a personal European grant supporting researchers in setting up a research team or programme.
She is an active member of numerous networks, including The Young Academy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
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