SKA Observatory Director-General Prof. Jessica Dempsey Visits South Africa
South Africa continues to play a leading role in the international SKA Observatory (SKAO)—a global collaboration of 16 partner countries across five continents building the world's most advanced radio telescopes. As part of this work, SKA-Mid, located near Carnarvon in the Northern Cape, is being delivered jointly by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRF–SARAO) and SKAO, while its counterpart SKA-Low is under construction in Western Australia.
The country's flagship telescope, MeerKAT, has already transformed our understanding of the universe. Its 64 dishes—operated by SARAO—have established South Africa as home to one of the most sensitive radio telescopes on Earth.
The SKA Observatory's newly appointed Director-General, Prof. Jessica Dempsey, will visit South Africa for the first time since assuming the role in June. She will be available for media interviews to discuss:
- The current status of SKAO construction in South Africa and Australia
- Her vision for the Observatory as the telescopes move toward early science operations
- South Africa's critical contributions to engineering, infrastructure, and scientific leadership
- The broader national benefits of hosting a global mega-science facility
Read Prof. Jessica Dempsey's biography: https://www.skao.int/en/720/prof-jessica-dempsey
The public are invited as follows:
Date: Friday, 18 September 2026
Time: 10:30 to 12:30
Venue: Albert Luthuli Auditorium, National Research Foundation, Pretoria
RSVP: nmakhubo@srao.ac.za and for the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Julian Leshilo-Sebake on 060 961 2194
