The Birth of Modern Astronomy

Professor Harm J. Habing obtained his PhD in astronomy from the University of Groningen in 1968 under Dr. Sr.R. Pottasch. He did his postdoc at the University of California under Prof. G. Field before becoming a senior researcher at Leiden University in 1970. In 1980, he became a full professor at Leiden University, where he remained until his retirement in 2002. During his time at Leiden University, he acted as chairman several times, and he served as the scientific director from 1995-2002. In addition, he supervised 28 graduate students. Professor Habing has published over 350 papers in scientific journals and has written multiple books, including Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars (Springer). Further, he has received the Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement from NASA and the Gilles Holst medal in gold from the Royal Dutch Academy of Science. He is also Chevalier de l ordre de la Légion dhonneur.