Julien H. Girard
VLT operations staff astronomer
I
am a
physicist/astronomer currently
working as Operations Staff Astronomer
at ESO,
spending my time between Santiago and the Paranal
Observatory in
northern Chile.
I mostly work on VLT/UT4 where most adaptive optics systems are (NaCo, SINFONI, LGSF MACAO-VLTI, Future AOF, etc.). Instrument Scientist of NaCo & SPHERE, I also coordinate the Adaptive Optics activities at ESO/Paranal.
The
remaining time is
dedicated to my personal
research
or R&D projects,
collaborations, etc.
My
(broad) research interests:
star & planet formation, faint
companions search
and characterization (brown dwarfs, extra-solar
planets), close and dusty environment of young and/or massive stars,
AGN cores, etc.
I
use high
angular & high contrast imaging techniques
extensively, mainly adaptive optics
& coronagraphy (interferometry
occasionally), in the infrared
and from the ground. I am also
interested in the time-domain and participate to campains to measure
extrasolar planet atmospheres via transits and occultations, also from
the ground.
Former instrumentation specialist and instrument builder, I hope to
contribute again to
instrumentation labs/projects in
the future.
Public Outreach:
I think that sciences and astronomy in particular aren't completly
useless in the society. I am more and more interested in public
outreach and therefore I will try to provide interesting informations
and links hereby. You can
also read about this photographic exhibition
"Ella es Astrónoma"
I produced about Women astronomers in
Mexico as well as look at my Cosmic Diary corner. Since 2012 I became
one of the ESO Photo Ambassadors.
Disclaimer:
the content of this page is independant of ESO's standpoint.