[5][6] Born in France, Catherine Cesarsky was largely raised in Argentina and she received a degree in physical sciences at the University of Buenos Aires.

Her thesis focused on the propagation of cosmic rays in the galaxy and was advised by physicist Russell Kulsrud.

[7] After obtaining her PhD, Dr. Cesarsky was awarded a postdoctoral research fellowship at the California Institute of Technology for three years, where she worked with Peter Goldreich.

[3][4] She became chairman of the board of the Square Kilometre Array Organisation in 2017 and took on the post of chairperson of its successor governing body, SKAO Council, in 2021.

This has involved studies of the propagation and composition of galactic cosmic rays, of matter and fields in the diffuse interstellar medium, as well as the acceleration of particles in astrophysical shocks, e.g. in connection with supernovae.