Josef Aschbacher
Josef Aschbacher (born 1962) is an Austrian space researcher and manager based in Paris, France. On 1 March 2021, he became the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA). He previously served as ESA's Director of Earth Observation Programmes from 2016 to 2021. Education and career Born in Ellmau, Austria, Josef Aschbacher studied at the University of Innsbruck, graduating with a Master’s degree and a PhD in natural sciences. He has had an accomplished international career in space, combining more than 35 years’ work experience at ESA, the European Commission, the Austrian Space Agency, the Asian Institute of Technology and the University of Innsbruck. He started his career as a Research Scientist at the University's Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics between 1985 and 1989. After, he worked in ESA as a Young Graduate Trainee and also in the European Commission Joint Research Centre. He returned to ESA in 2001 to work as Programme Coordinator for the Copernicus Programme. In 2006, he was appointed Head of the Copernicus Space Office. In 2016, he was appointed ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes, leading the largest ESA Directorate with an annual budget responsibility of €1.5 billion. Institutional positions He is the former