At the last SPIE meeting, during the conference "Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging X", the Michelson Lifetime Achievement 2026 prize was awarded to:

Denis Mourard (Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, Lagrange Laboratory, France) for his outstanding contributions and leadership to the development of visible-light optical interferometry.

Throughout his career, Denis has been instrumental in advancing the technology and leading ambitious scientific programs in this spectral regime, from the pioneering GI2T/REGAIN interferometer to the VEGA beam combiner at CHARA, and more recently the development of SPICA. His work has been central to establishing visible interferometry as a powerful observational technique, enabling numerous advances notably in high-angular-resolution stellar astrophysics.

See here more information on the prize, sponsored by the Lowell Observatory .

Photo Credit: "Hypertelescope project", Ubaye, Southern French Alps , an interferometric project in which Denis was heavily involved too.

Updated on 17 July 2026