About Mr. Prof. Jose Achache Ph.D.

Prof. José Achache is the Director of the Secretariat of GEO, the Group on Earth Observations.

José Achache is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. He holds a PhD in Geophysics from Pierre et Marie Curie University and a PhD in Physical Sciences from René Descartes University in Paris.

After one year as Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, and 8 years with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, he became Professor in 1989 at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). He set up and directed the Graduate School of Earth Sciences of René
Descartes University and IPGP, the Diplôme d'Études Supérieures Spécialisées in Applied Geophysics (Disaster Management, Environment and Land Use), as well as the Department of Space Studies of IPGP.

From 1996 to 1998, he was Vice-President for Research and Development at the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières, the French Geological Survey. He designed and conducted R&D programmes on the prevention of natural hazards, CO2 elimination by geological sequestration, water resource management and mineral exploration and processing.

He joined the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, the French Space Agency in 1999 as advisor to the President. In 2000, he was appointed Deputy Director General. He set up and chaired the "Earth and Space" Research and Technological Innovation Network to develop added-value services and applications of Earth observations.

From 2002 to 2004, José Achache was Director of Earth Observation Programmes at the European Space Agency (ESA). He was the architect of GMES, the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security joint programme of ESA and the European Commission. In 2004, he also became director of ESRIN, the ESA Center in Italy.

In 2005, José Achache was nominated to head the GEO Secretariat in Geneva.

José Achache is the author of a scientific and geopolitical essay entitled Les Sentinelles de la Terre, which discusses the applications and benefits of Earth Observation for a better
management of the planet, environmental changes and the mitigation of disasters and epidemics. He has had more than 70 scientific papers published in international journals on subjects ranging from Earth sciences, geophysical imaging, planetary sciences, Earth observation from space, natural hazards, space and science policy.