Professor Željko Ivezić, Ph.D., professor of astrophysics and a member of the International Scientific Council of the University of Rijeka, has been appointed the next Director of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Construction Project upon the departure of Steve Kahn from the Project on January 3, 2022.
“Željko’s knowledge of the Rubin Observatory system and his commitment to the Project are extraordinary, and I am confident that he will lead the Rubin Construction Project to a successful completion,” said Steve Kahn.
Ivezić previously served as Deputy Director of the Rubin Construction Project, in addition to his role as Project Scientist, and has been associated with the Project since its inception in the early 2000s. In his role as Deputy Director, he assisted Project Manager Victor Krabbendam and Director Steve Kahn in the overall management and direction of the program. He took special responsibility for data management, education, and public outreach, communications, and interactions with the external scientific community.
As Project Scientist, Ivezić’s primary responsibility was to ensure that the design and construction of the Rubin Observatory’s system for implementing the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will be optimized for its scientific mission. In this capacity, he chaired the Project Science Team and played a major role in both internal and external reviews of the project. Ivezić also brings a wealth of expertise and experience in survey astronomy in a variety of fields ranging from solar system science to studies of the structure of the Milky Way and cosmology.
Read the full press release here.