Prof. Dr. Elena Sabbi

Elena Sabbi is an astrophysicist specialising in star formation and stellar evolution. Elena’s research focuses on young massive star clusters in nearby galaxies. In particular, they study the role massive stars play in regulating the early evolution of their lower-mass neighbours, the survivability of stellar disks, and the possibility that planetary systems can form across a range of environments. Elena has authored or co-authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles.

Over the course of their career, Elena held key leadership roles at major facilities, including the Space Telescope Science Institute, where they led the Wide Field Camera 3 on Hubble and guided the JWST/NIRSpec team through its preparation and commissioning as JWST’s most complex instrument. Most recently, Elena served as Chief Scientist of the International Gemini Observatory, where they were responsible for setting science policy and serving as primary point of contact with the scientific community.