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Director General Xavier Barcons | ESO Ísland
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Xavier Barcons, ESO Director General since 1 September 2017, was born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain in 1959.
He received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in physical sciences from the University of Barcelona in 1981. He was awarded a PhD in statistical physics in 1985 from the University of Cantabria, Spain.
Barcons began his academic career at the University of Cantabria first as a teaching assistant and then as a lecturer until he took up the role of Senior Research Scientist at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in 1993. In parallel (1986–87), he moved to Cambridge University in the UK as a postdoctoral fellow, and then returned there as a sabbatical visitor in 1997. He was promoted to CSIC Research Professor in 2002.
Barcons’ research has been focused on astronomy at X-ray wavelengths and, until the late 1990s, Quasi-Stellar Object absorption lines and the intergalactic medium. He has both participated in and led a number of research projects, some of which have provided the backbone for XMM-Newton surveys. His interests have unveiled obscured Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) in the distant Universe, the evolution of the AGN population and the apparent mismatch between the X-ray and optical views of AGN.
In the late 1980s, he started the first X-ray astronomy group in Spain, which has been a partner in many international collaborations and consortia. His group is now engaged in, and even leading, various programmes that have obtained large amounts of observing time with a number of observing facilities (ESO, Gran Telescopio Canarias, XMM-Newton, Spitzer, WISE, ALMA) to better understand the nature of AGN and their relationship with galaxy formation.
Much of Barcons’ efforts have been directed towards pursuing large projects, beginning as a co-investigator with the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre in 1996. He has actively pushed for large X-ray observatory missions including XEUS, IXO when it merged with NASA’s CON-X, and most recently, ESA’s Athena mission.
Before becoming ESO Director General, Barcons served with ESO in many different roles, including ESO Council President from 2012–2014. He has dedicated significant effort to help progress major ESO projects including the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which was approved during his mandate as ESO Council President.
Barcons has (co-)authored over 250 refereed papers in journals and conference proceedings. He has supervised the research of seven PhD students, given over 100 talks at international conferences and symposia, and chaired and served on the scientific organising committee of more than 50 international conferences.
Xavier Barcons is married and has two children.
A detailed CV is below.
Prof. Xavier Barcons Jauregui
Born in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain, in 1959; Spanish nationality.
Degree in Physical Sciences, University of Barcelona (1981)
Master in Physical Sciences, University of Barcelona (1981)
PhD in Science, section of Physics, University of Cantabria (1985)
1981–1987: Teaching Assistant, University of Cantabria, Cantabria, Spain
1986–1987: Fleming Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK
1987: Research Fellow of the Ministry of Education and Science, University of Cantabria
1987–1993: Lecturer, University of Cantabria, Cantabria, Spain
1993–2002: CSIC Senior Research Scientist,  Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), Santander, Spain
1996: Royal Society Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK
1997: Sabbatical visitor at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK, 1997
2002–present: CSIC Research Professor, Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), Santander, Spain
2017–present: Director General of ESO
Research: Active galaxies and X-ray sky surveys, Transition Edge Sensor calorimeters for X-ray astronomy.
Publications: co-authored over 300 refereed papers in journals and conference proceedings.
At ESO — European Southern Observatory
Chair of the Observing Programmes Committee, 2016
Chair of the ALMA construction lessons learned panel, 2015
Member of the E-ELT Working Group, 2013–2014
President of ESO Council, 2012–2014
Member of the ALMA Personnel Committee, 2011-2014, and chair, 2012
Member of the ESO New Member States Working Group, 2011–2012
Vice-President of ESO Council, 2011
Member of the ALMA Board, 2008–2014
Member of the ALMA Budget Committee, 2008–2010
Member of the ESO Scientific Strategy Working Group, 2007–2008
At ESA — European Space Agency
Member of ESA’s Athena-L2 Science Study Team, 2014–
Member of the project selection panel FP7-SPACE, 2013
Member of ESA’s Athena-L1 Science Study Team, 2011–2012
Chair, Athena-L1 Science Definition Team, 2011–2012
Member of the selection jury of the Laboratoires d’Excellence (labex), ANR, France, 2011
Chair of the XMM-Newton Users Group, 2010-2014
Member of the Universe Sciences (PE9) panel of the ERC Advanced Research Grants, 2008, 2010, 2012
European co-chair, IXO Science Definition Team. 2008-2010
Member of the NASA/ESA/JAXA advisory committee leading to IXO –International X-ray Observatory, 2008
Member of the ESA XEUS Science Study Team, 2007–2008
Member of the ESA Space Science Advisory Committee, 2004–2006
Member of the ESA XEUS Science Advisory Group, 2002–2004
Member of the ESA Astronomy Working Group, 2002–2003
Member of the XMM-Newton Users Group, 2002–2003
Member of the IAU Special Nominating Committee, 2015–
Lead of the Athena Community Office, 2015–
Member of the X-IFU Consortium Management Team, 2014–
Chair of the X-IFU (X-ray Integral Field Unit) Science Advisory Team, 2014–
Member of the IAU Division D “High Energy Astrophysics” Steering Committee, 2013–
Head of the Galaxies and AGN research group at IFCA, 2012–
ESO Council delegate and coordinator of the Spanish delegation, 2007–2011
Member at large of the ASTRONET Roadmap Working Group, 2008-2009 and 2013–2014
Member of the Spanish National Astronomy Commission - CNA, 2008–2009
Founder and coordinator of RIA — Spanish Network of Astronomical Infrastructures, 2007–2010
Member of the Galaxies panel, ASTRONET Science Vision, 2006–2007
Member of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) Oversight Committee, 2004–2006
Spanish co-chair of the Spain-ESO in-kind working group, 2004–2006
Manager of the National Astronomy & Astrophysics Programme, 2004–2006
Member of the Spain–ESO negotiating team, 2004–2006
Founding Director of IFCA — Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), 1995–1999
Founding member of the Spanish Astronomical Society, and member of its Board, 1992–1996
Head of the Modern Physics Department, University of Cantabria, 1988–1999
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