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Dr. Zouhair Benkhaldoun is an internationally recognized leader in astrophysics and space science whose career spans over four decades of pioneering research, education, and institutional development. Born on June 3, 1959, he earned a PhD in Energetics from the University of Provence, Marseille (1985) and a Doctorat d’État in Astrophysics jointly from Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakech) and the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (1994). Since 2009, he has directed the Oukaimeden Observatory—Morocco’s premier astronomical facility—while also spearheading the High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory at Cadi Ayyad University .

A dedicated educator, Dr. Benkhaldoun teaches advanced optics, general relativity, cosmology, and image processing at both undergraduate and graduate levels, supervising over 70 master’s projects and more than 20 doctoral theses. As “Moroccan National Committee for Astronomy” president and founding member of both the Arab Astronomical Society and the Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences, he has forged strong international collaborations—from the SVOM satellite mission with CNES (France) to site-selection studies for the European Extremely Large Telescope.

With over 350 publications, Dr. Benkhaldoun’s work on exoplanet detection, astroclimatology, and long-baseline optical interferometry has an H-index of 36 on Google Scholar and continues to influence the global astronomical community. He regularly represents Morocco at the International Astronomical Union (elected Division F member, 2021) and serves on numerous expert panels—affirming his status as both a visionary researcher and a tireless advocate for public outreach and science education.