The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) is an Institute of Advanced Studies based in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Switzerland. The institute's work is interdisciplinary, focusing on the study of the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Sola ...

, and encompasses planetary sciences,

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

astrobiology Astrobiology (also xenology or exobiology) is a scientific field within the List of life sciences, life and environmental sciences that studies the abiogenesis, origins, Protocell, early evolution, distribution, and future of life in the univ ...

, and the

Earth sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

. A main activity is the interpretation of experimental data collected by space research missions. ISSI provides various scientific opportunities, such as funding for International Teams and Workshops, to space scientists around the globe to meet and collaborate. With the Johannes Geiss Fellowship, it supports established international scientists to make further demonstrable contributions to Space Science. ISSI is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

and a foundation under Swiss law. ISSI operations are supported by grants from the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

, the

Swiss Confederation Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerlan ...

and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT). The

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

contributes through a grant to a Director and in-kind facilities. It was established in 1995. Primary initial capital for the ISSI at the time was provided by Oerlikon Contraves, which later became Beyond Gravity.

Johannes Geiss Fellowship

In 2015, ISSI introduced The Johannes Geiss Fellowship (after physicist

Johannes Geiss Johannes Geiss (4 September 1926 – 30 January 2020) was a German physicist. Biography Geiss was born in 1926 in modern-day Poland, the son of farmers Hans Geiss and Irene Wilk. In 1955, he married Carmen Bach. Geiss studied physics in Götting ...

) for international scientists of stature to make demonstrable contributions to the ISSI mission.

Johannes Geiss Fellows

* 2015: George Gloeckler (University of Michigan, USA) * 2016: Kurt Lambeck (Australian National University, Australia) * 2017: Gary Zank (University of Alabama, USA) * 2018: Karel Schrijver (Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto, USA (retired)) * 2019: Bruno Leibundgut (European Southern Observatory, Garching, Germany) * 2020: Weiqing Han (University of Colorado at Boulder, USA) and Sabine Schindler, (University of Innsbruck, Austria) * 2022: Marco Velli (Space Physics at the Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences Department, University of California, USA) * 2023: Sandra Chapman (Physics Department, University of Warwick, United Kingdom) * 2024: Michael R. Meyer (University of Michigan, USA) * 2025: Benjamin Poulter (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA)

References

External links

* Science and technology in Europe Space organizations {{Astronomy-org-stub