AAL thanks the Australian Government for ~$1.4M in new funding to support Australian involvement in international projects and partnerships:

AAL is delighted to have been awarded $990K through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) towards the ongoing development of GMT Integral Field Spectrograph at AAO-Stromlo. We thank the Hon Dan Tehan, Minister for Education, for this investment, which will help to maintain momentum with Australia's technical contributions to the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).

Australia is currently involved in two significant GMT work packages: the MANIFEST fibre-feed system at AAO-Macquarie and the GMT Integral Field Spectrograph at AAO-Stromlo. GMTIFS is designed to address key scientific questions of interest to Australian researchers, including understanding the nature of supermassive black-holes at the centres of galaxies, understanding the birth and evolution of galaxies in the universe and probing the atmospheric composition of extra-solar planets. GMTIFS is envisaged to be a first-light instrument for the GMT and is featured prominently in the recently released Giant Magellan Telescope 2018 Science book. 

AAL is delighted to be awarded a grant of $160K from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS)  to support a range of Australia-China Consortium for Astrophysical Research (ACAMAR) activities. This builds upon a similar award last financial year which supported the ACAMAR workshop in April 2019, the recently announced ACAMAR SKA fellowship and SKA PhD scholarship schemes. The new grant will ensure the successful continuation of Australian-Chinese research partnerships. 

The DIIS has also awarded AAL a grant of $230K to continue our support of the Australia-ESO Strategic Partnership and other overseas optical telescopes. The Department had previously contracted AAL to undertake such activities until June 2020; this new award will continue to fund AAL to undertake such activities until June 2022, allowing AAL to take a longer-term view of assisting the Department to engage with ESO, and other projects including the GMT.

AAL thanks the DIIS for both these grants, which provide significant support for Australian astronomer engagement in international facilities and partnerships.

Applications close on Friday 5 July 5PM AWST

Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL), on behalf of the Gravitational Wave Data Centre (GWDC), is inviting applications from suitably qualified Australian-based astronomers and eResearch specialists willing to represent the Australian astronomy community on the Gravitational Wave Data Centre Advisory Panel. 

Applications 
If you wish to contribute to the Gravitational Wave Data Centre Advisory Panel via your expertise, ideas, and experience, please email AAL with a maximum three-page application with: 

• A brief CV,
• Your relevant expertise, 
• Any relevant conflicts of interest

AAL is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from everyone with the appropriate expertise and skills.

​The AAL Board will review all received applications and make the appointment. Queries can be made to Dr Robert Shen, AAL Senior program manager, 03 9214 5520. 

Applications close on Friday 5 July 5PM AWST. Late applications will not be accepted. 

More details can be downloaded below: 
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Applications close on Thursday 9th May 5 PM AWST.
 
On behalf of the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) Council, Astronomy Australia Limited (AAL) seeks to appoint two new members to the AAT Users’ Committee (AATUC). One of these positions is for a regular member, while the other is reserved for a postgraduate student.  The AATUC provides advice to the AAT Council and SSO Director on the operational and development issues relating to the AAT. AATUC will meet twice a year via videoconferencing in February and August.
 
If you consider yourself well placed to contribute to this committee via your expertise, ideas, and experience, please email applications@astronomyaustralia.org.au with a maximum three page application with:
​

• a covering letter describing your expertise relevant to the committee terms of reference
• a brief CV
• any relevant conflicts of interest.

AAL is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from all interested candidates with relevant expertise and skills. AAL specifically considers gender balance across committee appointments. AAL also considers the range of specialisations and seniorities required for the committee’s effective operation and seeks to maximise the number of AAL member institutions involved with committees it appoints.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact AAL if you have any questions regarding the AATUC committee:

Mita Brierley, CBO, 02 9850 6371
Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer, Program Manager, 02 9850 6379

Applications close on Thursday 9th May 5 PM AWST. Late applications will not be accepted.
​
More details can be downloaded below:

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• AAL is advertising a newly created part-time role
• We are seeking a person with highly developed communications skills and experience in producing printed and digital content, social media and events
• Must be able to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders

The role
The successful applicant will work collaboratively within a small team environment to coordinate and implement AAL’s communications activities. The role is based at AAL’s Victoria office, located alongside the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn. We offer a relaxed, flexible, family-friendly environment, close to public transport, approximately 6km east of Melbourne’s CBD.
 
The person
Applicants should possess a degree level qualification with relevant work experience managing communications dealing with scientific concepts or a technical project.
 
You should have experience delivering compelling content over varying channels, including social media, an ability to write compelling content which articulates complicated technical strategies from multiple sources, and highly developed communication skills, having partnered with and influenced senior stakeholders in previous roles.
 
This role is a permanent part-time position at a level of around 3 days/week. Flexible working arrangements may be negotiated.
 
Remuneration
The remuneration package will be in the range of around $80,000 p.a. pro-rata, plus employer superannuation contributions of 9.5%.
 
Position Description
​communications_officer.pdf
 
Enquiries
To discuss this role please contact James Murray, Senior Program Manager via applications@astronomyaustralia.org.au or on 03 9214 8426.
To apply for this role, please submit a covering letter and resume via email to applications@astronomyaustralia.org.au
 
Applications Close
17 May 2019, 5:00 PM (AEST).

The first AAL industry engagement seed funding round is now completed. We'd like to congratulate the following four successful applications: 

​AAL looks forward to working with the successful applicants in 2019 to help build deeper industry engagement! 

Applications close on Wednesday 13th February 2019, 5 PM AWST.
 
On behalf of the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) Council, Astronomy Australia Limited (AAL) seeks to appoint three new members to the AAT Time Allocation Committee.  ATAC is the committee that allocates time on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT), as well as Australian time on the Blanco telescope. ATAC meets twice a year in person, with the next meeting scheduled for early May.
 
If you consider yourself well placed to contribute to this committee via your expertise, ideas, and experience, please email applications@astronomyaustralia.org.au with a maximum three page application with:

• a covering letter describing your expertise relevant to the committee terms of reference
• a brief CV
• any relevant conflicts of interest.

AAL is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from all interested candidates with relevant expertise and skills. To achieve our gender balance targets across the committee membership, at least one of these appointments will be offered to a suitable female candidate and at least one appointment will be offered to a suitable male candidate.

Please do not hesitate to contact AAL if you have any questions regarding these committees:

Mita Brierley, Senior Program Manager
Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer, Program Manager


Applications close on Wednesday 13th February 2019, 5 PM AWST. Late applications will not be accepted.

​More details can be downloaded below:
​​

Proposals are invited from the astronomy community to advance their industry engagement projects. Astronomy Australia Ltd. (AAL) has a budget of up to $100K to advance the collaboration(s) between astronomy groups and industry partners. Furthermore, AAL expects that its investment in industry engagement portfolio may continue beyond the initial seed funding period, but subject to funding availability.
AAL Industry Engagement Seed Funding proposals may include, but not limited to:

• Funding projects that assist in solving industry problems.
• Funding projects that assist in commercializing technology through industry partnerships.
• Funding assistance towards preparing joint proposals between academics and industry for third-party funding e.g. ARC Linkage Project Grants.

Please note:  

• Only proposals from academic or technical staff working in an Australian University or research organisation on a project that involves industry engagement will be considered. 

For further details and the evaluation criteria can be found here: 

1. Call for AAL Industry Engagement Seed Funding 
2. Call for AAL Industry Engagement Seed Funding - Proposal Template 

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​The proposal should be submitted by email no later than 5pm AWST on 20 February 2019 to robert.shen@astronomyaustralia.org.au​ 

AAL is celebrating the signing of agreements to build the southern component of the world's largest Gamma-Ray Observatory near the Paranal site of the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will comprise the Chile site and a second array in La Palma, in the Canary Islands. The gamma-rays it observes are produced by some of the hottest and most violent events in the universe, including supermassive black holes, supernovae and even the Big Bang itself.

Australian scientists, supported by AAL  are involved in developing instrumentation for the array's Small Size Telescopes, and are heavily involved in the CTA Consortium which directs the science goals of the observatory.

AAL is a shareholder, and Australian representative, in CTAO gGmbH, the company managing the observatory's pre-construction. For more information on this exciting development see the CTAO press release.

In July 2018, AAL took over responsibility for allocating time on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) from the former Australian Astronomical Observatory, on behalf of the new AAT Consortium. The Call for Proposals in Semester 2019A (for observing time in the period Feb-July 2019) was issued in Sep 2018, and a total of 18 proposals was received, including one Large Program request. The Australian Time Allocation Committee (ATAC) met at AAO-Macquarie on 1 and 2 Nov 2018 to discuss and rank the proposals. The AAT observing schedule for Semester 2019A was released on 3 Dec 2018, and feedback provided to all ATAC applicants at that time.

Some points to note from this semester:

• Bright time was more oversubscribed than dark time. While this made scheduling programs easier, this is likely to be only a temporary situation following the decommissioning of the SAMI instrument in preparation for the arrival of the Hector instrument in 2019/20.
• The new Veloce precision radial velocity spectrograph received 58 nights, HERMES 52 nights, and AAOmega + 2dF 33 nights. The visiting HIPPI-2 polarimeter received a further 17 nights.
• Several nights have been set aside to allow for realuminising of the primary mirror, as well as repairs to the dome windscreen mechanisms.
• A total of 3 nights were awarded to OPTICON Horizon 2020 Trans-national access programs, and 5 nights to US National Optical Astronomy Observatories AAT-Blanco time exchange programs.
• The GALAH Survey was awarded long term status, with a total of 70 nights in Semesters 2019A + 2019B.
  

AAL would like to thank the ATAC members, AAO-Macquarie astronomers, and AAT operations staff at Siding Spring Observatory for their assistance with the Semester 2019A time allocation and scheduling process. The next Call for AAT proposals in Semester 2019B will be issued in early-March 2019.