SKAO Corner
Prof. Philip Diamond at the Urania Observatory in Zürich, Switzerland. Credit: Keystone/Severin Bigler
Prof. Philip Diamond reappointed to head up SKAO BY ANIM VAN WYK (SKAO)
As construction of the SKA telescopes picks up steam,a rm andexperienced hand will continue steering the work. The SKA Observatory Council has reappointed Prof. Philip Diamond as leader of the organisation. His new contract will run until 1 July 2025.
Council last year approved construction of the SKA telescopes, with SKAO teams rapidly growing in Australia and South Africa.
Prof. Diamond, who holds a PhD in radio astronomy from The “I am honoured that the SKAO Council have granted me University of Manchester, has been a staunch supporter of anotherterminoce,saysProf.Diamond.&Ibelieveitreects theSKAprojectsinceitwasrstbroachedintheearly190s. their comfort with the status and direction of the Observatory He joined the then SKA Organisation in October 2012. Before whichis,ofcourse,adirectresultofthestaofSKAOandour that, Prof. Diamond worked at radio astronomy facilities in partners,whoareallworkinghardtomakeitasuccess. Sweden, Germany, the United States, and Australia – notching up over 300 journal articles. Under Prof. Diamond’s leadership, international engineering consortia developed and delivered the SKA telescopes’ design, “My goal for the next few years is to ensure that construction several new countries joined up, and the project’s Global proceedsasplannedandthatweseerstlightorrst Headquarters was formally selected. The SKAO furthermore fringes as we radio astronomers call it – from SKA dishes and transitioned into an intergovernmental organisation and the antennasasrapidlyaspossible,hesays. 16
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