1. Since 2013, Zarnecki has been a Director of the International Space Science Institute.
12 Facts About John Zarnecki
1. 2.
John Zarnecki has taken part in several high-profile space probe missions and is an expert on space debris, space dust and impacts.
3.
John Zarnecki was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2014, and became President of the Royal Astronomical Society in May 2016, having been vice-president from 2009 to 2011 and President-Elect for the year from May 2015.
4.
John Zarnecki graduated with a BA degree in Natural Sciences from Queens' College, Cambridge in 1971.
5.
John Zarnecki undertook doctoral research at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey and subsequently obtained a PhD degree in Physics and Astronomy from University College London in 1977.
6.
The proposal was successful and, in 1990, John Zarnecki was appointed as the SSP's Principal Investigator.
7.
John Zarnecki managed to persuade a group of scientists in Poland to provide part of the instrumentation for free.
8.
John Zarnecki is currently working as the team leader on the ExoMars mission, Europe's first Mars rover mission.
9.
In 2005, John Zarnecki won the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for individual achievement, for his work on the Huygens probe.
10.
John Zarnecki was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2014.
11.
In September 2014 John Zarnecki was appointed a Foreign Member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences for his significant contribution to Polish science.
12.
John Zarnecki is a passionate supporter of Crystal Palace Football Club.