Yamila Miguel wins Pastor Schmeits Prize for astronomy
The board of the Pastoor Schmeits Prize for Astronomy Foundation has awarded the Pastoor Schmeits Prize 2025 to two individuals: Yamila Miguel, affiliated to the Leiden Observatory, Leiden University and SRON, and to Else Starkenburg, affiliated to the Kapteyn Institute, University of Groningen. The prize was presented on 28 May during the 80th Dutch Astronomers Conference in Berg en Dal.
Dr. Yamila Miguel receives the award for her pioneering research in planetary physics. She uniquely links research on planets in our own solar system with that on exoplanets around other stars. This has provided important new insights, for example on the structure of gas planets such as Jupiter. Miguel is also a global expert on atmospheric chemistry of so-called super-Earths, a class of planets not found in our own solar system. Her models play a leading role in interpreting the latest data from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Miguel received her PhD from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Argentina in February 2011, for a thesis entitled 'Un modelo determinista para la formación de sistemas planetarios'. She has been at Leiden University since 2018 and at SRON since 2020.
Maria Paschalis Schmeits
The Schmeits Prize is named after Maria Paschalis Schmeits, born in Sittard in 1851, who was for many years chaplain of St Servatius in Maastricht and then parish priest in Venray. When he died in 1919, he left 2,000 guilders for, as he wrote: "The promotion of the study of astronomy, the highest of all human sciences, which goal is pursued by awarding and distributing prizes to those who, in the opinion of a jury to be set up, have made themselves most deserving for astronomical science". Schmeits was an extraordinary man. He is described as having a keen interest in the natural sciences and the humanities. He himself made several astronomical observations. As chaplain, he was closely involved in the restoration of Saint Servatius Basilica in the late nineteenth century, about which he also published widely.
The prize is awarded once every three years to astronomers of Dutch nationality or, according to Dutch law, resident in the Netherlands, who have made a scientific contribution of exceptional importance in the preceding five years, who have not yet reached the age of 40 years at the time of publication of the said contribution, or who have not obtained a PhD more than 12 years ago. The board decides on the award on the basis of nominations from the Dutch astronomical community. Attached to the Pastoor Schmeits Prize is a monetary amount of 1,500 euros.
This press release appeared on astronomie.nl.