Francesca Primas is an Italian astronomer at the

European Southern Observatory The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 m ...

in Germany. Her research studies the historical evolution of chemical abundances in the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies; she is also known for her activism for improving the gender balance of professional astronomy.

Education and career

Primas was a high school student in

Gorizia Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...

, and studied astronomy at the

University of Trieste The University of Trieste (, or UniTS, Formerly Regia Università degli Studi or The Royal University of Studies) is a public research university in Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeast Italy. The university consists of 10 ...

, both in Italy. She earned a

laurea In Italy, the ''laurea'' is the main post-secondary academic degree. The name originally referred literally to the laurel wreath, since ancient times a sign of honor and now worn by Italian students right after their official graduation ceremo ...

(the Italian equivalent of a master's degree) in 1992, and completed a PhD there in 1995. After postdoctoral research at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in the US from 1995 to 1997, and at the European Southern Observatory from 1997 to 2000, she continued at the European Southern Observatory as a support astronomer beginning in 2000, became head of the user support department in 2006, and was promoted to full astronomer in 2015. In approximately 2008, she authored a study of gender distribution among European Southern Observatory astronomers. The low representation she found, with only 18% of ESO astronomers identifying as female, sparked significant discussion and change at the observatory, and she became a co-founder of the observatory's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has also chaired the Working Group on Women in Astronomy of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

(IAU), and directed an IAU project to publicize the work of over 600 women in astronomy.

Recognition

In 2023, Primas was named as the inaugural recipient of the Nancy Grace Roman Award for Promoting Gender Equity of the

Astronomical Society of the Pacific The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is an American scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889, immediately following the solar eclipse of January 1, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Primas, Francesca Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Italian astronomers Italian women scientists Italian women astronomers University of Trieste alumni