Julian Chela-Flores

Julian Chela-Flores (born 13 June 1942) is a Venezuelan astrobiologist and physicist. He is known for his contributions to the field of planetary habitability.

Biography His father, Raimundo Chela a mathematician of Lebanese family, encouraged his studies in science, while his mother raised his interest in the humanities. He lived in England where he studied in the University of London, obtaining a PhD in Quantum Mechanics in 1969. His field of research is astrobiology, in other words the science of the origin, evolution, distribution and destiny of life in the universe, especially life on Europa, the Jovian satellite.

From 1971 till 1990 he worked in academic matters continually, especially in research at the Centre of Physics, the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (Full Researcher 1978) and at the Physics Department, Simon Bolivar University (Full Professor 1980), both in Caracas. He is Full Professor ad honorem at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, Caracas) having been a co-founder of IDEA in 1980. Since 1994 he is an Associate Member of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

His first contact with the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste (ICTP, now bearing the name of its Founding Director the Nobel Laureate, Abdus Salam) took place during the inauguration of its Miramare Campus and at the Contemporary Physics Trieste Symposium (June, 1968).

These two events were stepping stones for perennial collaboration with the progress of research and development, especially in the emerging nations: IAEA Fellow 1971, and on several occasions Associate Member (1972-1981) and Visiting Scientist (1982-1990). From 1990 to 2014 he was scientist in residence at the ICTP: Scientific Consultant (1990-1996) and Staff Associate (1996-2014). He now continues his research as visiting scientist at the ICTP.