She came from what she described as a poor part of Belgium where people enjoyed stargazing. At ten she considered meteorology, but by twelve became interested in astronomy. She received her PhD in March, 2004 and qualified as a permanent National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) researcher since 2009. She devotes part of her leisure to the popularization of sciences through conferences, animations, exhibitions, and articles. She has written several books that have earned her several awards. Her scientific work has been just as rewarded and repeatedly so.Europlanet honours inspirational outreach role-model Yaël Nazé with Prize for Excellence in Public Engagement with Planetary Science reward Europlanet 2012
