Stuart McMuldroch, Designated Director General for the future CTAO ERIC, Joins the Management Board of the CTAO gGmbH

Credit: Giant Magellan Telescope Organisation (GMTO)

Dr. Stuart McMuldroch has been appointed as the second Managing Director of the Management Board of the CTAO gGmbH, starting from 30 April 2023, alongside the Observatory’s existing Director, Prof. Federico Ferrini. McMuldroch and Ferrini will work together on the final steps of the Observatory’s legal entity transition, from a gGmbH (under German law) to a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC, under European law). McMuldroch was recently selected as the first Director General of the CTAO ERIC by the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR), a position he will officially assume when the ERIC is established in mid-2023. By joining the Management Board of the CTAO gGmbH now, McMuldroch will help prepare for the establishment of the CTAO ERIC and the resulting transition of the project to the construction phase in the most effective way.

“We are very fortunate that Stuart is already able to join the CTAO during this important period,” says Prof. Federico Ferrini, current CTAO gGmbH Managing Director. “Working side-by-side through this transition will allow us to achieve the objectives that will ensure an optimal start of the construction phase in the CTAO ERIC era.”

McMuldroch has a PhD in Astronomy and more than 22 years of experience managing large-scale international projects at academic, commercial and government organizations. He was part of the New Horizons and GOES-R space missions as team leader for the design and construction of key optical subsystems. Prior to his appointment as designated Director General for the CTAO ERIC, McMuldroch was the Head of the Giant Magellan Telescope program office at the Center for Astrophysics (CfA)/Harvard & Smithsonian.

Ferrini will continue to manage the day-to-day business of the CTAO gGmbH, focusing on tasks such as running the operational business processes of the CTAO gGmbH, preparing the governing policies and rules of the CTAO ERIC and transferring all relevant assets from the CTAO gGmbH to the CTAO ERIC for the eventual liquidation of the former legal entity. In parallel, McMuldroch will focus on the preparation of the CTAO ERIC and the construction project. This encompasses preparing the CTAO ERIC’s organizational structure and business process, ramping up the staff, coordinating activities for the establishment and full operability of the ERIC, as well as preparing construction, including the project schedule.

“The CTAO is an exceptional project that is entering an extremely exciting and challenging construction phase,” says Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, designated Director General of the CTAO ERIC and Co-Director of the gGmbH. “I am looking forward to working with Federico and the rest of the CTAO team – we have a lot to do, but I am optimistic and energised about the path ahead!”

This joint working approach builds upon the already well-established collaboration of Dr. Stuart McMuldroch and Prof. Federico Ferrini in addition to that of the CTAO gGmbH Council and the BGR; all of whom are working towards the common goal of constructing the first, open ground-based gamma-ray observatory on the planet.