From ICRAR: “Carole Jackson – Radio Astronomer, SKA Expert”

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research

18 Aug 2015

Carole Jackson

After 18 years involvement with the development of the multi-billion dollar telescope, there’s not much Professor Carole Jackson does not know about the Square Kilometre Array.

Carole was lured to Perth in 2013 with the award of a prestigious WA Fellowship and has made a strong addition to the ICRAR leadership team.

She brings more than 25 years experience in both industry and research, and has particular interests in radio-loud active galactic nuclei, technology development and industry partnerships.

Prior to joining ICRAR, Carole spent 10 years at csiro, where she led the design and commissioning of the 36 dish antennas that make up the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP).

SKA ASKAP Pathfinder Telescope

She led the formation of the international SKA Dish Consortium, a group comprising members from South Africa, the UK, China, Canada, Italy and Sweden, including a number of major industry partners.

Carole says the most exciting aspect of moving to ICRAR has been the opportunity to rekindle her own astronomical research, applying her expertise in the evolution of active galactic nuclei to observations flowing from telescopes such as the Murchison Widefield Array.

“ Over the next few years there’s going to be a wealth of new results from these new low frequency surveys.”
Carole loves the discovery aspect of her work, obtaining insights into the workings of the Universe such as how galaxies that were once so powerful seem to have faded away.

“The other side I see is how you can build big groups, and watch those teams really producing great work,” she says.

“It is all about recruiting the right people and then allowing them to go do what they’re really good at.”

See the full article here.

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ICRAR is an equal joint venture between Curtin University and The University of Western Australia with funding support from the State Government of Western Australia. The Centre’s headquarters are located at UWA, with research nodes at both UWA and the Curtin Institute for Radio Astronomy (CIRA).
ICRAR has strong support from the government of Australia and is working closely with industry and the astronomy community, including CSIRO and the Australian Telescope National Facility, iVEC, and the international SKA Project Office (SPO), based in the UK.

ICRAR is:

Playing a key role in the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, the world’s biggest ground-based telescope array.

Attracting some of the world’s leading researchers in radio astronomy, who will also contribute to national and international scientific and technical programs for SKA and ASKAP.
Creating a collaborative environment for scientists and engineers to engage and work with industry to produce studies, prototypes and systems linked to the overall scientific success of the SKA, MWA and ASKAP.

A Small part of the Murchison Widefield Array

Enhancing Australia’s position in the international SKA program by contributing to the development process for the SKA in scientific, technological and operational areas.
Promoting scientific, technical, commercial and educational opportunities through public outreach, educational material, training students and collaborative developments with national and international educational organisations.
Establishing and maintaining a pool of emerging and top-level scientists and technologists in the disciplines related to radio astronomy through appointments and training.
Making world-class contributions to SKA science, with emphasis on the signature science themes associated with surveys for neutral hydrogen and variable (transient) radio sources.
Making world-class contributions to SKA capability with respect to developments in the areas of Data Intensive Science and support for the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory.