The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (est. 1925) is the largest academic institution in Greece and one of the largest in Europe. It hosts 13 Faculties and 37 Departments, which cover a wide range of Sciences and Humanities. Services, such as libraries, clinics, and the Research Committee support our teaching and research activities. The Main Campus of AUTH is located at downtown Thessaloniki, the 2nd most populous city in Greece. The Main Administration, Research Committee Services and the Department of Physics buildings are all located at the main Campus of AUTH.
Through its large number of Faculties and Schools, AUTH engages in research, technology, educational, and training projects as well as service projects in various fields. During the last 15 years, AUTH has successfully implemented nearly 5,000 research and educational programs, which participated well over 10,000 University staff members and external collaborators. The Research Funds Special Account (‘ELKE’) of AUTH plays an important role in the realization of these research projects. ΕLKE is legally charged with the administration and management of all research and training projects of AUTH, including EC-funded projects, and the supervision of financial transactions and human resources. ELKE also offers advisory services on proposal submission and implementation.
The Unit of Mechanics (UoM) is part of the Section of Astrophysics, Astronomy, and Mechanics (AAM) of the Department of Physics. UoM has a long tradition of top-level research on asteroid dynamics and celestial mechanics since the 1960’s, with hundreds of publications. Two of its former directors have served as chairman of respective IAU Commissions. In the last 15 years, the key personnel (see below) belonging to UoM have participated (both as PIs and Co-I’s) in several research programs, funded by national and international agencies, most notably a recent H2020 project on space debris and the ESA-funded AIM mission study. Former students of UoM now work as post-docs and even as faculty in various European and US institutes. Hence, the UoM team has the scientific stature and administrative experience necessary for the successful implementation of NEO-MAPP.
The AUTH team will lead and contribute to WP 4 (Dynamics) and WP 7.2. Its primary role will be to study the dynamics of NEOs and their response to tidal forcing and kinetic impact, and the dynamics of space probes around NEOs, using analytical and numerical methods of celestial mechanics. AUTH will also lead to 7.2, charged with producing the NEO dynamical state data product. AUTH will also contribute to WP2 and public outreach activities (WP9).
