Biography

Dr. Franck Marchis is a senior astronomer and Director of Citizen Science at the SETI Institute, Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Unistellar, and co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of SkyMapper. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Toulouse, France, in 2000, Marchis moved to the United States to pursue his passion for astronomy and exploration. His research, published in Nature, Science, and other leading journals, includes notable discoveries such as the first triple-asteroid system in 2005, the binary Trojan asteroid Patroclus in 2006, the direct imaging of a Jupiter-like exoplanet in 2015, and major advancements in adaptive optics for 8-10m class ground-based telescopes, as well as citizen science using networks small telescopes.

Marchis has a strong commitment to science outreach and entrepreneurship. He joined Unistellar in 2017 as Chief Science Officer and became a scientific advisor for VR2Planets. In 2022, he founded Dope Space, a company focused on outreach, education, and entertainment for the New Space industry. In 2024, he co-founded and assumed leadership of SkyMapper, a decentralized platform providing continuous, global sky observations through cutting-edge astronomy and space data solutions.

He is a member of several prestigious science committees, including the GPI Steering Committee, the TMT Science Definition Team, the Frontiers editorial board, the Project Blue Advisory Board, and, since 2019, the IAA SETI Permanent Committee. With over 600 scientific publications to his name, Marchis has also trained numerous students and contributed as a consultant and interviewee for documentaries and films in English, French, and Spanish.

In recognition of his contributions to astronomy, the asteroid (6639) Marchis was named in his honor for his discovery of the first triple-asteroid system. In 2023, Marchis was elected a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences for his dedication to outreach and the search for life in the universe. The following year, he received the Carl Sagan Center Director’s Award for his excellence in SETI research, education, and outreach.