NCOA Director Search Committee

In preparation for the planned launch of NSF’s National Center for Optical-Infrared Astronomy (NCOA), AURA has initiated the search for an NCOA Director. The NCOA Director is responsible for providing strategic, scientific and managerial leadership, including defining the vision and structure of NCOA, setting priorities and establishing goals across the organization, and providing direction, guidance and support to the NCOA team. The NCOA Director will be selected through an open process and appointed with NSF approval for a five-year term starting approximately 1 October 2019, with renewable additional terms. The NCOA Director is expected to be located at NCOA headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, with frequent travel to Hawaii, Chile, and other locations. The vacancy announcement has been posted here.

The NCOA Management Oversight Council (NMOC) Chair and the AURA Board Chair have constituted a Search Committee, chaired by Laura Ferrarese, which will both solicit and evaluate candidates for the position.

NCOA Director Search Committee:
Laura Ferrarese, NRC-Herzberg (Chair)
Bruce Carney, University of North Carolina
Nancy Chanover, New Mexico State University
Josh Frieman, Fermilab
Hilton Lewis, Keck Observatory
Laura Parker, McMaster University
David Reitze, Caltech/LIGO
Steve Ritz, University of California Santa Cruz
Adrian Russell, European Southern Observatory
Christy Tremonti, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Amanda Bauer, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
Chris Morrison, Gemini Observatory
Kathy Vivas, National Optical Astronomy Observatory

The Search Committee is charged with recommending to the NMOC a list of finalists, from which the NMOC will conduct further interviews and make a recommendation to the AURA Board, who will make the final selection. Review of applications will begin on April 1, and the position will remain open until filled.