Garik Israelian
From stellar research to a meeting of science and art
Garik Israelian is an Armenian astrophysicist, born in Yerevan in 1963. After studying at Yerevan State University and working at international institutions, he joined the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands in 1997.
His research concerns stellar chemical composition, extrasolar planets and binary systems containing black holes. In 2010, he shared the Viktor Ambartsumian International Prize with Michel Mayor and Nuno Santos.
Together with Brian May, Israelian co-founded Starmus, a festival combining science, music and art. Its sixth edition took place in Yerevan in 2022. His activities link research with public education, bringing questions about the universe to a wider audience.