Prof. Jessica Dempsey To Be NextSKA Observatory Director-General
The SKA Observatory has announced Professor Jessica Dempsey will be its next Director-General, taking up the post in June 2026 for a five-year term.v
Professor Dempsey was appointed following an exhaustive selection process with the final decision by the SKAO Council representing each of it’s 12 member states. She will succeed Professor Philip Diamond, who wraps up his 14 year tenure in May next year.
Currently the Director of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Prof. Dempsey is a renowned radio astronomer with extensive experience in senior leadership, having previously been Deputy Director of the East Asian Observatory in Hawai’i.
In addition to her impressive research career, the SKAO press release notes that she has demonstrated a commitment to creating greater diversity, equity and opportunity at all levels of astronomy, and has spoken extensively about creating inclusive practices in the workplace. She has been the Chair of Ethics in Astronomy at Radboud University in the Netherlands since 2023.
As the next Director-General, Prof. Dempsey will oversee the Observatory as it transitions into its science verification phase, as well as the continued construction of both arrays in Australia and South Africa. Science verification is when the science community will gain access to early SKAO data, due to begin in the first half of 2027.