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.

AAL welcomes new AAL Board Director, Dr Sarah Pearce, after her appointment by the AAL Members at our 2018 AGM. Sarah is Deputy Director of CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, and is involved in both the Square Kilometre Array and the newly formed Australian Space Agency.

AAL also congratulate Prof Rachel Webster and Dr Rosalind Dubs on their reappointment to the Board. Rachel and Rosalind will continue in their respective roles as Chair and Deputy Chair, to be reviewed at the February 2019 meeting of the AAL Board.

We are also delighted to announce the recruitment of Dr Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer as a Program Manager at AAL. Lucyna brings a wealth of experience in astronomy research and knowledge of the Australian astronomical community. She has worked for astronomy groups at CSIRO, AAO, USyd, WSU and UNSW over the past three decades, been a user of a range of facilities including optical, radio and computing infrastructure, and been Chair of the Astronomy Decadal Plan 2006-2015 Working Group on university facilities. Lucyna will join the AAL Sydney office, starting in January 2019.

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope aims to produce the deepest, widest image of the Universe ever produced. It will conduct a ten year survey of the sky using a specially designed 8.4 m diameter telescope in Chile with an extremely wide field of view. In 2015, CAASTRO and the LSST Corporation signed a memorandum of agreement to allow a named list of Australian Investigators to access data from the LSST. AAL has now novated the agreement and represents Australian astronomers wishing to participate in the LSST project. In Sep 2018 AAL issued a Call for Nominations to serve as Australian LSST PIs, as well as for an Australian LSST Science Lead. An AAL nominations sub-committee recommended the following 10 people serve as Australian LSST PIs.

Congratulations to:

• Sarah Brough (UNSW, Australian Science Lead)
• Tamara Davis (UQ)
• Simon Driver (UWA/ICRAR)
• Gerhardt Meurer (UWA/ICRAR)
• Karl Glazebrook (Swinburne)
• Duncan Galloway (Monash)
• Sarah Martell (UNSW)
• Rachel Webster (U. Melbourne)
• Helmut Jerjen (ANU)
• Richard de Grijs (Macquarie)

on being appointed to these positions. This team will now work towards securing the necessary external funding for this LSST engagement through avenues including the ARC's Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme.

AAL is looking for a Program Manager to join our team in overseeing optical research infrastructure projects. This will be a Sydney-based role and the initial contract is one-year with the possibility for renewal. 

This application closes at 9AM AEDT 15th November 2018. For more information, contact Dr Mita Brierley (Senior Program Manager, mita.brierley-at-astronomyaustralia.org.au, 02 9850 6371). 

Please find the detailed position description below. 

Astronomy Australia Limited (AAL) is seeking nominations from members of the astronomy community from individuals willing to serve the community in one of several capacities. AAL will appoint:

• an Australian representative to the Board of the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA)
• three members of the AAL Astronomy Supercomputer Time Allocation Committee
• An "Australian Science Lead" to lead the engagement with the eROSITA mission.

Detailed descriptions of the positions can be found below.

If you wish to apply for any of these positions, please email AAL with a maximum three page application with:

• the name of the position,
• a brief CV,
• a statement outlining your relevant expertise and addressing any selection criteria,
• any relevant conflicts of interest.

Applications for all positions close at 5pm AWST on Friday the 2nd of November. Late applications will not be accepted.

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

Australian Representative to MWA Board​
Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL), on behalf of the Australian Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) Partners, is inviting applications from suitably qualified Australian-based astronomers to represent Australia on the MWA Board.

Australia currently has 4 positions on the MWA Board, with one position to be filled through this open call for nominations. The successful applicant will be expected to work with the Australian MWA Partners and AAL to represent Australian interests in the MWA project.

The successful applicant must be an Australian-based astronomer with an active and successful research career of direct relevance to the MWA. The successful applicant should have demonstrated ability to represent the interests of the broad Australian astronomy community. Experience serving on groups such as Boards and advisory committees, and previous involvement with international projects, would also be highly relevant.

The term of this appointment is 1 year, commencing January 2019, with the possibility of renewal. The MWA Board meets twice per year in person, usually once in Australia and once overseas, with regular teleconferences in between. AAL will fund travel expenses associated with attending MWA Board meetings. 

For further details and the selection criteria see here.
Applications close at 5pm AWST on Friday the 2nd of November.

Three members of the AAL Astronomy Supercomputer Time Allocation Committee
The Astronomy Supercomputer Time Allocation Committee (ASTAC) is an AAL committee with the Chair and members appointed by the AAL Board. ASTAC members are usually appointed for two year terms, with the possibility of renewal. ASTAC meets and allocates time twice per year via videocon/telecon.

The purpose of ASTAC is to allocate time on the following supercomputer resources that has been reserved for astronomy access:

• OzSTAR, Swinburne University of Technology; 
• NCI National Facility; 
• Pawsey Supercomputing Centre.  

Note: AAL will consider ASTAC allocating time on any other supercomputer resources that provides dedicated national astronomy access, where appropriate.

For further details and the selection criteria see here.
Applications close at 5pm AWST on Friday the 2nd of November.

Australian eROSITA Science Lead
​eROSITA is a German X-ray telescope due to be launched on the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma satellite in 2019.

CAASTRO and the German eROSITA consortium signed a memorandum of understanding in 2013 to facilitate collaboration between Australian based astronomers and eROSITA researchers. 
AAL now has taken over responsibility for this relationship and is looking for an astronomer to lead the engagement and to provide strategic advice on eROSITA matters of interest to the Australian community.

The key focus for the science lead will be to encourage further collaboration between the two communities. The term of this appointment is two years. The minimum requirements of the role are participation in six monthly collaboration telecons  (with AAL and eROSITA), however the successful candidate is expected to be prepared to actively work with AAL to promote the collaboration within the Australian community.

For further details and the selection criteria see here.
Applications close at 5pm AWST on Friday the 2nd of November.

​AAL is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee whose Members are all Australian universities and research organisations with a significant astronomy research capability. Its core business is to manage programmes which provide astronomers with access to national astronomy infrastructure.
 
AAL finances a range of research infrastructure projects from Australian Government funding and supports Australian engagement with various international observatories. The AAL Board, appointed by the Members, oversees the progress of these projects.
 
At the conclusion of the AAL AGM on 28 November 2018, the terms of Prof Matthew Bailes, Dr Rosalind Dubs and Prof Rachel Webster will expire creating three vacancies on the Board. The AAL constitution requires the Members to seek a Board that collectively has experience in 

• Astronomical research broadly consistent with, ‘Australia in the era of global astronomy: The decadal plan for Australian astronomy 2016–2025’;
• Research collaboration at the national and international level;
• National research policy and priorities;
• Business administration and finance;
• Corporate governance and legal matters; and
• Strategy formulation and implementation

 
To complement the skills and expertise of the ongoing Directors, the AAL nominations committee is particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate significant experience in managing (at an executive level) or overseeing (at a Board level) one or more of the following areas:

• Data intensive science and/or computationally intensive research;
• Space science;
• Radio astronomy;
• Relationship management with government departments; and,
• Corporate governance and legal matters. 

 
In addition to the above, the majority of the Board must have conducted research in astronomy or a related field. To fulfil this final requirement, at least one of the vacancies must be filled by an individual who has conducted research in astronomy or a related field.
Note: Prof Bailes, Dr Dubs and Prof Webster are entitled to apply for re-election.
 
Applications
If you consider yourself well placed to contribute to the Board via your expertise and ideas, and share AAL’s vision of wanting Australian astronomers to have access to the best research infrastructure, please email Astronomy Australia Ltd with a maximum two A4 page application with:

• a brief CV,
• your expertise for each of the required areas of skills and experience listed above, 
• any relevant conflicts of interest.

AAL is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from under-represented groups.
 
The deadline for applications is 9 October 2018 at 8pm AEDT.  Late applications will not be accepted.
 
Applications will be reviewed by the Nomination Committee. This committee will make nominations to the AAL Members for consideration at the AGM.
 
Queries can be made to either Mr Mark McAuley, Chief Executive Officer, 03 9214 8036, or Professor Naomi McClure-Griffiths, Nomination Committee Chair, 02 6125 4158.

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) aims to construct the deepest, widest image of the Universe ever produced. Following commissioning in 2021/22 it will conduct a ten year survey of the sky using a specially designed 8.4 m diameter telescope in Chile with an extremely wide field of view. In 2015, CAASTRO and the LSST Corporation signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to allow a named list of Australian Principal Investigators (PIs) to access survey data from the LSST.  AAL has now novated the agreement and represents Australian astronomers wishing to participate in the LSST project.
 
Participation under this program costs USD(2013)$20,000 per PI per year over a 10-year period. There is also an additional data access fee. While AAL has not committed to funding Australia’s LSST participation, it will help coordinate the Australian PIs as they seek to secure funds for access to LSST, primarily expected to be through ARC LIEF and university grants. The original MoA allowed for 10 named PIs, each of whom can have four associated junior researchers who will also have rights to LSST data. AAL seeks to refresh the current list of named PIs via this open call for nominations. Applicants should in general be established senior researchers, with the ability to lead a small team of junior researchers within their institution. Demonstrated involvement with LSST science and/or survey management experience is highly desirable.
 
If you consider yourself well placed to contribute to this LSST engagement and development of a LIEF bid for submission in early 2019, via your expertise, ideas, and experience, please email applications@astronomyaustralia.org.au with a maximum three page application comprising:

• a covering letter describing your expertise relevant to LSST science and the science you wish to do with the LSST;
• a brief CV including grants awarded;
• a statement of intent to seek monetary support for the LIEF bid from your institution.

 
In addition AAL will appoint one PI as the “Australian Science Lead” to lead the Australian engagement with LSST and coordinate the LIEF bid. Should you wish to be considered for the Australian Science Lead role, you should include an additional statement indicating two or more of:

• Demonstrated leadership within LSST science and/or governance networks.
• Demonstrated leadership within a key LSST science area.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate large funding applications.

 
In considering applications, AAL will first consider appointment to the Australian Science Lead role. The successful candidate for that role will be invited to have input into the remainder of the PI refresh process.
 
AAL is committed to equity and diversity and encourages applications from all interested candidates with relevant expertise and skills. ​AAL will also endeavour to maximise engagement across Australian institutions in this process, but please note, as AAL is not directly funding Australian LSST access, there may be limitations to this consideration.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact AAL if you have any questions regarding this process:
 
Mita Brierley, Senior Program Manager
Stuart Ryder, Program Manager
 
Applications close on Friday 5th October 2018, 5 PM AEST. Late applications will not be accepted.

AAL and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science are pleased to announce the launch of the Australian ESO Forum. This Forum is intended to enhance the flow of information and ideas among experienced and prospective Australian users of ESO facilities and data. Here users can find:

• Answers to several Frequently Asked Questions from new ESO users.
• Blog postings from Australia's representatives on ESO committees, and other ESO users.
• An overview of what ESO offers and how to apply. The next Call for Proposals in Period 103 is due to be issued at the start of September.
• A summary of Australian proposal statistics and allocations to date. Did you know that Australian-led proposals were awarded more than 8% of the available VLT time in the current Period 101?
• An “ESO Collaboratory” where users can post ideas for new ESO proposals, seek out collaborators, and/or offer to join these projects.
  
• A list of all recent and upcoming ESO-related events in Australia, including the first Australia-ESO Joint Conference on “Linking galaxies from the epoch of initial star formation to today” from 18-22 Feb 2019 in Sydney, for which registration is now open.
  
• The latest Tweets from @ESO.
  

 
RSS feeds are available for the ESO blogs and Collaboratory, so users can keep up to date with the latest postings. All members of the Australian astronomy community are welcome and encouraged to post comments and questions, and guest blog posts are welcome. Please contact eso-forum@astronomyaustralia.org.au with any contributions and suggestions.