Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, a senior scientific body of the U.S., was elected Greek astrophysicist’s NASA, Chryssa Kouveliotou in recognition of the multiple contributions of the space and astronomical research.

He has received several awards for her work, such as «Rossi Award» (2003) and «Descartes Prize» (2004), while in 2012 was awarded the «Prize for Astrophysics Danny Chaineman» (the award jointly by the American Institute of Physics and the American Astronomical Society), and the Distinguished Service Medal of NASA.

Chryssa Kouveliotou has been selected as the 2012 recipient of the Dannie Heineman prize in astrophysics, as a recognition of her significant contribution to science.

The distinction is awarded each year by the American Institute of Physics and the American Astronomical Society to a specialist, as a recognition for the work he has carried out in his field.

The prize is awarded to Chryssa Kouveliotou for her extensive accomplishments and discoveries in the areas of gamma ray bursts and magnetars- a newly discovered type of stars, which are surrounded by the most powerful magnetic fields ever observed in the universe. According to scientists, magnetars are dead stars, characterized by powerful starquakes that cause gamma ray flare emissions.

The Greek scientist works as an  astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She has been the principal investigator on numerous research projects in the United States and Europe, while she is  a founding member of several scientific collaborative projects developing on a global level.