New ASTRON director highlights strong SKA partnership

BY FRANK NUIJENS (ASTRON)

Prof. Jessica Dempsey has been appointed as director of the SKAO’s Dutch partner ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, following an international recruitment campaign. She will start on 1 May 2022.

“Prof. Dempsey was selected for a well-established and broad track record in the three main areas of ASTRON: astronomy, instrumentation in radio astronomy and observatory operations,” said Prof. Marcel Levi, chairman of the board of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). “She is a world-renowned scientist and has successfully led an astronomical institution in a complex international environment with many partners and with a very active attitude towards more inclusion, equality and diversity.”

The new director has a passionate commitment to creating greater diversity, equity and opportunity at all levels of astronomy and to enhancing opportunities for girls to become future leaders in science and technology careers. “I am very excited to be working with the SKAO, as the Observatory has set equality, diversity and inclusion as a founding principle. I hope to be able to contribute to tipping the scale for more female leaders in science.”

Prof. Dempsey was deputy director of the East Asian Observatory in Hawaii, USA, and the first Australian female scientist to work at the geographic South Pole for the Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver cosmic microwave background (ACBAR CMB) experiment. She was also a member of the Breakthrough Prize winning Event Horizon Telescope team, who captured an image of a black hole for the first time. “There is so much groundbreaking science waiting to happen once the SKA is built and operational. It is a privilege to be able to advance the capabilities of this generation-defining telescope through the vital Dutch partnership.”