Athena Coustenis (Dr, HDR, KLH) is an astrophysicist, Director of Research CNRS exceptional class, at LIRA/Paris Observatory. She specializes in Planetary Sciences. Her research is devoted to the investigation of planetary atmospheres and surfaces, their origins and evolution, with emphasis on the habitable conditions in the Solar System and beyond. In particular Dr Coustenis is involved in the definition, development and exploitation of space missions to solar system bodies with high astrobiological potential, focusing on the exploration of the moons of the giant planets of the solar system and of the exoplanets, by using ground telescopes or space missions. After having worked as Co-Investigator with several instruments of the Cassini-Huygens mission (notably CIRS, HASI and DISR), and used many ground-based and space observatories, she is currently Co-investigator in the JAXA-MMX, ESA-JUICE and ESA-ARIEL missions. MMX, to launch in October 2026, will study the martian moons and return samples from Phobos, JUICE is en route to the jovian system and will study the Galilean satellites with a focus on Ganymede. ESA’s ARIEL will fly in 2031 and will characterize a large set of exoplanets. Coustenis is also a member or Chair of several advisory and executive committees. Among other: Chair of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection, President of the Division F of the International Astronomical Union and of the FNRS International Scientific Commission (SEN-2). She is a member of the IAA and IUGG Bureaus, of the French Space Agency (CNES) Committee of Space Programs and of the Governing Board of the Hellenic Space Center. She has served in the past in various advisory bodies of European Space Agency (ESA), of NASA, of NASEM and of the European Science Foundation (ESF). In particular, she was the Chair of ESF/European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC), Chair of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society (AAS/DPS), and Chair of ESA’s Human Spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC). She is currently chairing the External Advisory Boards of the space institutes of Catalunia, Andalucia, and is a member of the Science Advisory Committee of the Swedish National Space Agency.