SKAO Council

The SKAO Council (the Council) is the governing body of the SKAO. The Council held their first meeting in February 2021, shortly after the entry-into-force of the SKA Observatory as an intergovernmental organisation on 15 January 2021.
The Council represents the SKAO Member States, with Member Voting Representatives and their Advisors attending meetings.
Council CO-13 - Kimberley, South Africa
Hybrid SKAO Council meeting in Kimberley, South Africa, November 2024

Governance

The Council is responsible for “the overall strategic and scientific direction of the SKAO, its good governance, and the attainment of its purposes”.  The Council’s authority is set out in its Convention, and how it must behave is described in the Rules of Procedure.

The Council is supported by two committees:

  1. Finance Committee – to ensure “sound financial management, efficiency, transparency and accountability”.  The Finance Committee has three sub-committees.
  2. Science and Engineering Advisory Committee – which is made up of representatives who “act as individual experts and do not represent any Members’ views” to advise on a wide range of scientific matters including construction, technology, and engineering.

Membership

The Council Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are independent, and do not represent any country.  Each Member may designate a voting representative and an advisor.

SKAO Council Chairperson: Dr Catherine Cesarsky

SKAO Council Vice-Chairperson:  Mr Daan du toit

Members (November 2024)

 RepresentativesCountryMember since:

Mr Anthony McGregor (voting)

Dr Douglas Bock

Australia2021

Dr Michael Rupen (voting)

Dr Luc Simard

Canada2024

Prof. Zhao Jing (voting)

Ms Wang Xiao

China2021

Mr Patrick Hartmann (voting)

Prof. Michael Kramer

Germany2024
Prof. Roberto Ragazzoni (voting)
 
Italy2021

Mr Sunil Ganju (voting)

Prof Yashwant Gupta

India2024

Ms Judith Vermeer (voting)

Dr Jessica Dempsey

Netherlands2021

Mr Ricardo Conde (voting)

Mr Luis Serina

Portugal2021

Mr Daan du Toit (voting)

Ms Pontsho Maruping 

South Africa2021

Ms Inmaculada Figueroa Rojas (voting)

Dr Lourdes Verdes-Montenegro

Spain2023

Dr Simon Berger (voting)

Prof. Jean-Paul Kneib

Switzerland

 

2022

Ms Felicity Howe (voting)

Prof. Mark Thomson

United Kingdom2021

Observers

The Council also allows Observer representatives from countries or institutions who have either (a) signed an Accession Agreement and are moving towards their full membership, or (b) signed a Cooperation Agreements to provide resources, or (c) who are discussing their potential membership with the SKAO. 

These are (November 2024): the Republic of France, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), and Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden).

Rules and Regulations

The Council must follow:

  1. The Council Convention: which explains the high-level scope of the project, its purpose, definitions, membership rights, and how the SKAO is governed.  It also outlines the SKAO’s Financial Protocols, and what has been agreed by the Members about what ‘Privileges are allowed. 
  2. The Council Rules of Procedure:  these state the composition of the Council, rules relating to conduct and attendance, and how meetings work e.g. voting and subsidiary committees.
  3. The Council Schedule of Delegation:  which confirms what authority can (or not) be delegated - who can approve what e.g. the Council must approve the SKAO budget.
Last modified on 12 November 2024