Rubina Kotak joins E-ELT Project Science Team
18 September 2012
ARC member Dr Rubina Kotak has received an invitation to join the prestigious European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) Project Science Team (PST).
Sited in the Cerro Armazones mountain range in northern Chile, the European Extremely Large Telescope will be the largest optical/infrared telescope in the world when complete. Astronomers hope that it will enable more detailed study of a number of subjects, including planets orbiting distant stars, supermassive black holes and the first objects in the Universe.
What an exciting opportunity to gain some insight into the design of a next-generation facility that will change the way that we do Astronomy! - Dr Rubina Kotak, E-ELT Project Science Team member.
The E-ELT is the creation of the European Southern Observatory, an intergovernmental organisation of 15 member nations, including the United Kingdom, which provides state-of-the-art research facilities for astronomers and astrophysicists. Preparatory construction commenced in early 2012 and with work scheduled for a 10 to 11 year timeframe, the E-ELT should be ready to start operations early in the next decade.
Dr Kotak is one of 13 nominees who have been selected for the project from a field of more than 80 candidates. She will serve a renewable term of three years on the Project Science Team, the remit of which is to provide advice on scientific matters during the construction of the E-ELT and feed information back from the project to the wider ESO community.