4MOST - 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope
4-m Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope
4MOST

Introducing the new Project Scientists

by Joe Liske on 2021-11-23

An announcement from the Principal Investigator, Roelof de Jong:

It gives me enormous pleasure to let you know that the 4MOST Executive Board has with great enthusiasm approved the two new Project Scientists for the Project:

  • Karin Lind (Stockholm University, Galactic PS)
  • Jon Loveday (Sussex, extragalactic PS)

Karin has a long history in in the field of Galactic Archeology in general and in modelling of stars and analysing stellar spectra in particular. Since 2015 she has been one of the IWG7 leaders, making sure that the Galactic data reduction pipelines of 4MOST are well prepared. She has a keen interest in measuring the entire Milky Way system with a single yardstick, from the bulge over the full extent of the disk and beyond to the halo and its satellite galaxies, as this will be fundamental in order to understand the interrelationship and formation history of these components. Karin brings many years of experience within 4MOST and other surveys, and is well aware of the importance of creating strong networks that are necessary to make the 4MOST Science Team a tight collaboration.

Jon has been involved in spectroscopic surveys of galaxies since 1985. He has extensive experience in developing survey strategies and in galaxy spectral analysis. He has a keen interest in making sure that the extragalactic 4MOST Surveys are competitive within the broader astronomical community and sees a lot of opportunity in exploiting synergies with other new large facilities in the Southern hemisphere like Rubin Observatory, the SKA pathfinders, and the Antarctic CMB experiments. During OpR2 he was performing quality control for the CR and WAVES Surveys. He sees it as one of his main tasks to bring together the requirements of all the different Surveys in order to find the best compromise for survey strategy.

Please welcome Karin and Jon and help them wherever you can to get them up to speed with the many facets of 4MOST with which they may not be so familiar yet. I am looking forward to collaborating with them in the next few years to achieve important milestones like the onboarding of the Community Surveys, finalising the survey strategy and preparing for instrument commissioning.

Karin and Jon succeed Sofia Feltzing and Richard McMahon, respectively, who have been the 4MOST Project Scientists since 2013. Sofia and Richard have played a key role in shaping the science programme and its organisation from the early Preliminary Design Phase until now. The 4MOST leadership is very grateful for their relentless efforts and their intense dedication to making 4MOST a success.