Professor Lister Staveley-Smith has been appointed Chair of the ATSC for the next three years.

An Australian astronomer at the University of Western Australia (UWA) node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Professor Staveley-Smith uses our ASKAP radio telescope to explore the composition and dynamics of galaxies and is part of the commissioning team for the new CryoPAF receiver on Murriyang, our Parkes radio telescope, as well as having been lead investigator for its ARC-funded front-end component.  

Since the early 2000s, Professor Staveley-Smith has played a prominent role in global astronomy: as a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Premier’s Fellow at UWA, Science Director at ICRAR, chair of the National Committee for Astronomy, and member of the ESO Coordinating Group and Australian SKA Advisory Committee.  He has been involved with the ATNF for over 30 years, including as Head of Astrophysics and as project scientist for our revolutionary multibeam receiver, used for hydrogen, pulsar and fast radio burst surveys.  

Professor Staveley-Smith said he was pleased to take on the new role, which comes at an important time for the ATNF.

“With new astronomical discoveries over the past few years, new technologies on Murriyang and ATCA, as well as ASKAP and the incoming SKA telescopes, the global landscape of international radio astronomy is shifting. The role of the ATNF is evolving as we better understand the capabilities of these instruments, the research opportunities from new discoveries, and the upcoming publication of the Australian astronomy’s Decadal Plan. It is a vibrant time,” said Professor Staveley-Smith.

Professor Staveley-Smith succeeds Professor Tara Murphy, who served as Steering Committee Chair for the past three years.

During Professor Murphy’s time as Chair of the Steering Committee, key milestones achieved by the ATNF included initial commissioning of the CryoPAF on Murriyang, our Parkes radio telescope, and CRACO at our ASKAP radio telescope, providing support to the first commercial Moon landing, supporting the discovery and rise of long-period transient science, the award-winning work on gravitational wave detection with the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array, starting ASKAP full-survey science, a diverse leadership recruitment drive, and increasing the use of Indigenous languages at our sites, such as the naming of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, where construction of the SKA-Low telescope has begun.  

Dr Douglas Bock, Director of the ATNF, thanked Professor Murphy for her leadership during her term and welcomed Professor Staveley-Smith to the role of Steering Committee Chair.

“Tara brought strategic guidance, insightful leadership and rich experience using our ATNF instruments to the role. It’s been a privilege to work with Tara as Chair,” he said.

“Lister has been part of the ATNF as a researcher and stakeholder for many years and is a leader in astronomy globally. I look forward to working with Lister and the Steering Committee as we continue to shape our purpose and function in the global astronomy landscape and build on the work of Australia’s decadal plan for astronomy.”

The ATSC is an advisory body appointed by the CSIRO Board to provide advice to the ATNF Director on CSIRO’s ongoing delivery of radio astronomy capabilities for the nation. The Steering Committee appoints the ATNF Users Committee, which represents the interests of astronomers using our telescopes, and the Time Assignment Committee, which reviews observing proposals.

We’d like to thank all outgoing members of the Steering Committee – Sarah Brough, Scott Ransom and Rosie Hicks – and welcome our new members, Tamara Davis, Greg Hallinan and Patricia Kelly.

See the full list of current ATNF Steering Committee members.