Professor Jessica Dempsey named next director-general for Murchison’s Square Kilometre Array Observatory

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory’s next director-general will start her five-year term in June next year, it can be revealed. Professor Jessica Dempsey will oversee SKAO’s world-class facility for radio astronomy, 350km east of Geraldton in the Murchison Shire, on a former pastoral station. The area was chosen for its low population density and radio silence, allowing the telescopes to detect faint natural radio signals from space without local interference. The sensitivity of the observatory allowed astronomers to interpret radio waves from distant sources such as stars and black holes to document the early years of the universe, including just after the Big Bang. Professor Dempsey is a renowned radio astronomer and brings a wealth of leadership experience to the role. She is currently the director of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and was previously deputy director of the East Asian Observatory in Hawaii. Studying astrophysics alongside theatre and film science at the University of New South Wales, Professor Dempsey chose a career in astronomy after a research internship in Antarctica. “I am amazed to be asked to take up this role, especially at such a vital time for this wonderful observatory,” she said. “I am humbled, as Phil (Diamond) is a tough act to follow, and excited to join an incredibly talented and dedicated global team. “We are building an unprecedented discovery engine that will transform what we understand of the universe, and I am most thrilled at the opportunity to ensure the SKAO has a true global impact.” Current director-general Professor Philip Diamond said: “The observatory will be in very good hands.” “This is a demanding role, with the need to balance scientific, political, diplomatic, financial and many other considerations, but I have full faith in Jessica’s ability to lead this extraordinary organisation through its next chapter.” As the next director-general, Professor Dempsey will manage the observatory as it transitions into its science verification phase. This is where the scientific community will gain access to early SKAO data, due to begin in the first half of 2027, as well as the continued construction of both arrays, here in WA and South Africa.