ELT Programme Scientist

The ELT Programme Scientist provides the overall scientific leadership for the ELT and its suite of instruments. The role encompasses all scientific aspects of the ELT Construction Programme, covering the telescope itself, and the development of its instruments under the ESO Instrumentation Programme.

A key responsibility is to ensure strategic and scientific alignment between these two programmes.

The Programme Scientist is charged with developing strategies to maximize the scientific performance of both the telescope and its instruments currently under development, shaping plans for future instrumentation, advising operations, and overseeing telescope and instruments commissioning and science verification. In addition, the Programme Scientist serves as the primary interface between the ELT, the instrument Consortia, and the broader user community.

By closely monitoring the evolving scientific priorities of the community within the rapidly advancing landscape of astronomical facilities projected for the 2030s and beyond, the Programme Scientist ensures that the ELT delivers world-leading optical and infrared capabilities to drive major astrophysical discoveries.

We are seeking an experienced senior scientist with a strong technical background to provide authoritative scientific leadership and advice across both the ELT telescope Construction and Instrumentation Programmes, in coordination with the other ESO Programme Scientists (VLT, VLTI, ALMA, CTA) to enable scientific synergies.