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WORK TITLE: The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions
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CITY: Paris
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COUNTRY: France
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PERSONAL
Born c. 1964, in Italy.
EDUCATION:Sapienza Università di Roma, degree (physics; summa cum laude), 1986, doctoral studies (economics), 1989-91; Harvard Kennedy School, John F. Kennedy School of Government, executive certificate, 2020; coursework at University of Edinburgh and London School of Economics.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Scientific administrator, astrophysicist, and writer. European Space Agency, Paris, France, administrator, 1991-97, strategist, 1997-2000, head of General Affairs Office, 2000-02, international representative (in Washington, DC), 2002-06, coordinator for Human Spaceflight, Microgravity, and Exploration, 2006-08, executive secretary of the Science and Technology Advisory Group on Exploration, 2007, managing coordinator for legal affairs and external relations, 2008-11, head of Business Control and Management Support Office (ESA Policies), 2011-13, head of Coordination with Member States Office (Strategy), 2014-16, head of Policy Office (Strategy), 2016-17, chief diversity officer, 2017–, special advisor on strategic evolution, 2021-25, special advisor on future talents, 2025–; Eurisy (nonprofit space agency association), Paris, France, vice president, 2021-25. Scale-Up Europe initiative, member, Talent co-chair, Future of Work co-chair, 2020–. Co-designer of Lune d’acqua (objet d’art) for Artemide. Exhibitions: XXII International Exhibition of the Triennale di Milano, Unknown unknowns: An introduction to mysteries, curator, 2022-23.
AWARDS:Enrico Persico Fellowship, Accademia dei Lincei, 1984; Amelia Earhart Fellowship, ZONTA Amelia Earhart, 1987; Top Fifty Women in European Tech-Science citation, Inspiring 50 Europe, 2022; Commander of the Order of the Stella d’Italia, 2022; She Made a Difference Award, EWMD Italia, 2023; Premio Carla Fendi STEM, 2024.
WRITINGS
Contributor to books, including Theorizing European Space Policy, edited by Thomas C. Hoerber and Emmanual Sigalas, Lexington Books (Lanham, MD), 2017, and to periodicals, including Acta Astronautica.
SIDELIGHTS
[open new]Ersilia Vaudo is a veteran officer at the European Space Agency (ESA) and author of a book on pivotal moments in the history of astrophysics. She was born and raised in a small town on Italy’s southern coast, with fondness for both the sea and science running in her family. Her mother, holding a degree in biology and chemistry, nurtured her children’s scientific acumen by labeling household jars like salt and sugar with their chemical formulas. Although Vaudo once mistakenly used NaCl instead of C6H12O6 for bake-sale cakes at age seven, she otherwise appreciated the encouragement. Enrolling at the Sapienza Università di Roma, she was interested in philosophy and literature but decided to pursue a degree in physics. She told an ESA interviewer, “I was seeking the challenge of stretching my perspective beyond the borders of experience, and wanted to be confronted with the mysteries of the unknown around me.” Vaudo worked in a laboratory and wrote a dissertation on helium-3 signatures in cosmic microwave background radiation. She has credited study of quantum mechanics and general relativity with “triggering a personal transformation and enhancing that sense of curiosity and astonishment that is inherent to science. I also gained a strong sense of empowerment. We are no more than a little spark, in an indifferent and silent universe. However, we enjoy this great privilege of self-consciousness, wondering about the space around us, asking ourselves questions and striving for answers.”
After summer coursework at the London School of Economics, Vaudo returned to La Sapienza to pursue a doctorate in economics. A couple of years later, she discontinued her studies to take a position at the European Space Agency. She would rise through a series of administrative, strategic, and management posts, which included four years in Washington, DC, as a NASA liaison and a stint as executive secretary of the advisory group determining the scope of the ESA’s ExoMars mission. In 2017, Vaudo became the ESA’s chief diversity officer, spearheading initiatives to attract more women to science and make the agency more hospitable to female employees’ needs, such as concerning devotion to child care. Vaudo helped the agency earn an Excellence in 3G Diversity Award from the International Astronautical Federation in 2020. Among her other professional activities, to help bring the universe within reach for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, she cofounded the mobile telescope program Il Cielo Itinerante in Milan in 2021 and has served as president.
Vaudo published her debut book in Italian in 2023, with the English translation published two years later as The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions. Breaking the history of physics down for general readers, Vaudo zeroes in on five pivotal moments. Isaac Newton’s 1687 discovery of gravity as not just an earthly but a galactic phenomenon changed the way scientists understood the universe. Albert Einstein’s 1905 theory of special relativity fixed the speed of light and unveiled the interplay between space and time; and his 1915 theory of general relativity recognized gravitation as achieving the curvature of space-time. In 1929 Edwin Hubble discerned from spectrographic measurements that the universe is expanding, allowing theorists to dial the universe back to the Big Bang. Paul Dirac and others’ unfurling of the reality of antimatter in the 1930s represented yet another paradigm shift. Vaudo posits that investigations of the origins and reality of dark matter and dark energy will bring about astrophysics’ next revolution.
Reviewers delighted in Vaudo’s expansive volume and appreciated her knack for making the science accessible for lay readers, even while introducing informative helpings of mathematics. In Library Journal, Emily Bowles praised Vaudo’s “approachable tone and style” and affirmed that she maintains an “effective balance between science and story throughout.” Bowles affirmed that the text’s “carefulness and complexity” and the author’s “passion” for the subject matter help make the book “illuminating.” A Kirkus Reviews writer hailed The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions as a “lively and up-to-date survey of the key ideas of astrophysics” that “provides as good an overview of the state of the science as any reader could wish for.” Reveling in the “mind-bending conclusion that examines the possibility of parallel universes, 25 spatial dimensions, and other ideas on the frontiers of contemporary astrophysics,” a Publishers Weekly reviewer proclaimed that readers will be “riveted.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2025, review of The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions.
Library Journal, March, 2025, Emily Bowles, review of The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions, p. 114.
Publishers Weekly, February 3, 2025, review of The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions, p. 159.
ONLINE
Artemide website, https://www.artemide.com/ (September 24, 2025), author profile.
European Leadership Academy website, https://www.europeanleadershipacademy.eu/ (September 24, 2025), author profile.
European Space Agency website, https://www.esa.int/ (September 24, 2025), “Ersilia Vaudo, Chief Diversity Officer for ESA.”
Ersilia Vaudo has a degree in astrophysics and a thirty-year career at the European Space Agency. She has written and presented widely on science and space topics for a general audience. She lives in Paris.
Ersilia Vaudo, Chief Diversity Officer for ESA
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ESA / Enabling & Support / Preparing for the Future / Space for Earth
Please give a brief description of your duties at ESA.
I have been working at ESA since 1991 and have held several positions during my career, including in strategy and international relations. I also worked as coordinator of science and human spaceflight activities and had responsibility as Executive Secretary of the Science and Technology Advisory Group on Exploration. I spent four years at the ESA Office in Washington DC, in charge of relations with NASA and US stakeholders. Since April 2017, I have been Chief Diversity Officer. My role is to support the Director General in proposing actions that enhance the Agency’s wealth of diversity, while striving to ensure inclusiveness so that the values and objectives pursued through those actions become an inherent feature of the Agency’s policies and business practices.
What inspired you to pursue a career in science and engineering and what motivated you to join ESA specifically?
At the age of 17, I was very interested in philosophy and literature, but also highly attracted to science. I finally chose physics as I was seeking the challenge of stretching my perspective beyond the borders of experience, and wanted to be confronted with the mysteries of the unknown around me. I earned a degree in physics, with a specialisation in astrophysics, and I worked in a laboratory at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome on the measurement of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.
Studying physics, and in particular quantum mechanics and general relativity, has presented a unique opportunity for me to stretch my mind, triggering a personal transformation and enhancing that sense of curiosity and astonishment that is inherent to science. I also gained a strong sense of empowerment. We are no more than a little spark, in an indifferent and silent universe. However, we enjoy this great privilege of self-consciousness, wondering about the space around us, asking ourselves questions and striving for answers.
The European Space Agency has been the ideal place to nurture my interest in space and to reconcile my passions, culminating in the great experience of working in an international environment permeated by science and amazement.
Did you encounter gender barriers on your way to becoming a scientist / engineer?
I was born and raised in a small town on the southern Italian coast in a family that has always nurtured a true passion for science (and for the sea). I was particularly fascinated by my mother’s profession. She had a degree in chemistry and biology – quite a rare feature for an Italian woman at that time – and was a real ‘militant’ for science. As an example of her drive, we had in our kitchen different jars containing sugar or salt or other cooking stuff but with a twist: In the spirit of encouraging me and my brothers to learn chemistry, she used to indicate only the chemical formula on the jars’ labels. You can imagine what happened when, at the age of 7, I used many spoons of NaCl (salt), instead of C6H12O6 (yes, sugar!) to prepare the cakes for the school bake sale. This is to say that I was actively encouraged to study science, both by my family and at school.
What progress have you seen in addressing the gender imbalance in your profession through equal-opportunity measures in recent years?
A stronger focus has been put on the subject of gender imbalance, as part of the Director General’s priority of enhancing diversity and inclusiveness at ESA. A number of measurable objectives in terms of female recruitment and representation have been set, and we are already seeing encouraging results. For example, in 2018, the share of women recruited for professional positions has reached 40 percent – a significant increase from 28 percent in 2017. Furthermore, we are currently working on an enhancement of the Young Graduate Trainee (YGT) scheme to increase the Agency’s attractiveness to women in their 30s with some years of working experience.
What are, in your view, three measures that could make a difference in supporting a work-life balance and at the same time equal career opportunities.
Flexibility in working hours and place, while ensuring with adequate measures that managers don’t unconsciously operate with an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach when considering someone’s career prospects, but rather evaluate staff on the basis of objective achievements.
To balance the ‘time divide’ in terms of time spent at the office, which can negatively affect women, particularly with young babies. As a provocative measure, I would suggest that the electricity is cut off in the buildings at 6 pm. This way, there would be no more evening meetings largely among men staying late in the offices. Everyone will go home at the same time, and can still work from there if necessary.
What advice would you give to a girl or young woman who is considering a career in science and engineering?
Two pieces of advice that I give to girls and young women are: “Never take NO for an answer – hard work, passion and determination can make magic” and, “Don’t be afraid to fail, but fail smart and learn fast from it”. Pursuing a career in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field can be difficult, and there may be many moments of discouragement. However, the emotion and the sense of empowerment that arise from understanding and mastering those subjects are overwhelming.
Ersilia Vaudo
Chief Diversity Officer, European Space Agency (ESA)
Ersilia Vaudo is an Astrophicist, working since 1991 at the European Space Agency (ESA) where she is currently Chief Diversity Officer and Special Advisor on Strategic Evolution to the Director of European, Legal and International Matters.
During her long career at ESA she held several positions i.a. in international relations, elaboration of high-level strategies, and had the responsibility as Executive Secretary of the Science and Technology Advisory Group on Exploration in charge of selecting experiments for exploration missions, including ExoMars. She worked four years at the ESA Washington Office ensuring relations with NASA and with US stakeholders and Canada.
Ersilia Vaudo was Member of the Board of Directors of Women in Aerospace USA, and she is currently member of the Women’s Forum Daring Circle of Women in STEM, and of Women in Aerospace – Europe.
In 2019 she was nominated for the European Diversity Awards in the “Head of Diversity of the Year” category and in 2020 ESA received the prestigious “Excellence in 3G Diversity Award” from the International Astronautical Federation for its achievements in fostering diversity in the space sector.
Since April 2020, she has been part of the “12 Women for a New Renaissance” Taskforce established by the Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, where she has contributed to the formulation of proposals concerning “Research, STEM, and skill development”.
She is Vice President of Eurisy, a non-profit association including 30 European space agencies, with the aim of promoting the relationship between space and society.
Ersilia Vaudo is a member of the Scale-Up Europe initiative launched in 2020 by French President Emmanuel Macron, and co-chair of the recommendations on the Future of Work for the re-launch of the Tech ecosystem in Europe.
In October 2020 she received the International Award "Technovisionaries 2020, Special Award Europe", from the Women&Technologies Association.
In September 2021 she was included among the 50 most influential women in Italy - "Inspiring Fifty - Italy" - who have distinguished themselves for their commitment to science and technology.
Ersilia Vaudo is President and co-founder of the Association "Il Cielo itinerante" to promote STEM literacy by taking science "where it doesn't usually go", even with a telescope on a van, among children in areas of high educational poverty.
Ersilia Vaudo, a brilliant graduate in Astrophysics, expanded her academic credentials in 2020 by obtaining an Executive Certificate from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.
For over thirty years, Ersilia has been working at the European Space Agency in Paris, currently holding the position of ESA Chief Diversity Officer and Special Advisor on Strategic Evolution. Her professional journey, developed between Paris and the United States, has been marked by numerous strategic roles. Among her responsibilities, she distinguished herself in formulating the ESA's first space exploration program and served as the executive secretary of the scientific-technological committee responsible for selecting instruments for the ExoMars mission. From 2002 to 2006, she held the position of Deputy Head at the ESA office in Washington DC, with a focus on managing relations with NASA. Additionally, she was a member of the Board of Directors of Women in Aerospace US.
In 2020, Ersilia was an integral part of the "Donne per un Nuovo Rinascimento" Task Force, established by the Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family, contributing to the formulation of proposals related to "Research, STEM, and skills training," later included in the first National Strategy on Gender Equality.
President Macron appointed Ersilia Vaudo as co-chair of the recommendations on Talent and Future of Work within the "Scale-Up Europe" initiative, launched in 2020 to revitalize the Tech ecosystem in Europe.
In December 2020, she was appointed Curator of the XXII International Exhibition of the Triennale di Milano on the theme "Unknown Unknowns. An introduction to mysteries," held successfully from July 2022 to January 2023.
In addition to her institutional role, Ersilia is also the President and co-founder of the "Il Cielo itinerante" Association, dedicated to promoting STEM literacy by bringing astronomical knowledge to disadvantaged areas through a telescope mounted on a minibus, engaging children in areas characterized by hardship and educational poverty.
Vaudo, Ersilia. The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions. Norton. Apr. 2025.224p. tr. from Italian by Vanessa Di Stefano. ISBN 9781324089278. $23.99. SCI
Astrophysicist Vaudo writes in an approachable tone and style, immediately inviting readers into realms far beyond the reach of space shutties. With this illuminating book, Vaudo joins science communicators (including John Green) and scholars (including Katie Mack and Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock) who have increased the accessibility and intelligibility of the stories about the galaxy. Readers will find familiar tales and names of recognizable scientists such as Carl Sagan, and they'll also encounter careful explanations of the five revolutions that Vaudo suggests tell the story of astrophysics. The book simplifies the laws of physics in ways that invite readers to travel with her through explorations of gravity, the speed of light, the Big Bang, anti-matter, and much more, maintaining an effective balance between science and story throughout. VERDICT From casual viewers of The Big Bang Theory to knowledge-thirsty scientists, readers will appreciate this book's carefulness and complexity and Vaudo's passion for treating astrophysics (like every other body of knowledge) as an ever-evolving set of shifting reference points, like stars guiding them toward new beliefs, values, and technologies.--Emily Bowles
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Bowles, Emily. "Vaudo, Ersilia. The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions." Library Journal, vol. 150, no. 3, Mar. 2025, p. 114. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837611602/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=958c8e82. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions
Ersilia Vaudo, trans. from the Italian by Vanessa Di Stefano. Norton, $23.99 (224p)
ISBN 978-1-324-08927-8
Vaudo, chief diversity officer at the European Space Agency, debuts with an approachable chronicle of five pivotal moments that advanced scientific understanding of the cosmos. She explains that in 1687, Isaac Newton suggested the same "invisible hand" that causes apples to fall to Earth also governs the movement of celestial bodies, allowing astronomers to predict their trajectories with greater accuracy than ever before. Fast-forwarding to the early 20th century, Vaudo discusses how Albert Einstein kicked off two revolutions, first with his theory of special relativity, which showed that the speed of light is a fixed constant and that space and time dilate in tandem, and then with his theory of general relativity, which demonstrated the "equivalence between gravity and acceleration." Elsewhere, Vaudo describes how astronomer Edwin Hubbles 1929 discovery that the universe is expanding gave rise to the concept of the big bang, and how in the 1930s, British physicist Paul Dirac's assertion of the existence of positrons (antimatter particles) that annihilate electrons upon contact raised still unanswered questions about how electrons came to outnumber positrons, enabling the formation of the observable universe. Vaudo makes the science accessible to lay readers, and offers a mind-bending conclusion that examines the possibility of parallel universes, 25 spatial dimensions, and other ideas on the frontiers of contemporary astrophysics. Armchair astronomers will be riveted. (Apr.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 PWxyz, LLC
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"The Story of Astrophysics in Five Revolutions." Publishers Weekly, vol. 272, no. 5, 3 Feb. 2025, p. 159. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828300800/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a78f589a. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
Vaudo, Ersilia THE STORY OF ASTROPHYSICS IN FIVE REVOLUTIONS Norton (NonFiction None) $23.99 4, 29 ISBN: 9781324089278
A history of astrophysics, focused on a short list of fundamental discoveries.
Vaudo's revolutions are familiar to most amateur followers of science. In chronological order, they are Isaac Newton's formulation of the law of gravity; Albert Einstein's theories of special and general relativity; Big Bang theory; and antimatter. Each of these discoveries is put in historical context, with some biographical data on the scientists who made the discoveries. The book also gives credit to the other, sometimes less famous, figures who contributed--often significantly--to the discoveries. This is especially true of the Big Bang and antimatter, which emerged from the work of several theorists and researchers. We learn about their professional rivalries, such as Newton's feuds with Robert Hooke. Readers will also appreciate the author's serving up a wealth of details related to the scientists or their discoveries--the presence of a chunk of wood from Newton's apple tree aboard the International Space Station, or the fact that the potassium in a banana may decay and create tiny amounts of antimatter. While it's nearly impossible to discuss ideas such as the existence of more than three dimensions without a certain amount of math, Vaudo manages to keep the equations from overwhelming the text. A concluding chapter speculates on what the next major breakthrough is likely to be. Vaudo suggests that the questions posed by dark matter and dark energy--which apparently make up far more of the universe than "normal" matter and energy--will provide the material for the next revolution. Until those issues are worked out, the current book provides as good an overview of the state of the science as any reader could wish for.
A lively and up-to-date survey of the key ideas of astrophysics.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Vaudo, Ersilia: THE STORY OF ASTROPHYSICS IN FIVE REVOLUTIONS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785286/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=17c90a2e. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.