The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) welcomes the appointment of Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Director of Dunsink Observatory at DIAS as the new chair of the LOFAR ERIC Council, effective from 1 January 2026.
LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) is an international network of state-of-the-art telescopes used to observe the Universe in unprecedented detail at low radio frequencies. The European Commission officially established the LOFAR European Research Infrastructure (ERIC) in December 2023, with Ireland as one of its founding members. The LOFAR ERIC provides access to a wide range of radio astronomy services for the European and global community providing a cutting-edge suite of observing and data processing capabilities from the LOFAR radio telescope.
Professor Gallagher was responsible for establishing the Irish LOFAR radio telescope in at Birr Castle Demesne in County Offaly in 2017, and has served as Head of the I-LOFAR Consortium since then.He is also involved in numerous European Space Agency and NASA space missions and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Physics at Trinity College Dublin.
Commenting on his election, Professor Gallagher said: "I am honoured to take on this role at such an important time for LOFAR ERIC. The coming years will see major upgrades to LOFAR, and I look forward to working closely with all member countries to realise these opportunities."
Welcoming news of the appointment, Dr. Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS said: "This is excellent news for Peter personally but also for DIAS and Irish researchers more generally working in the field of astrophysics; LOFAR is one of the most sophisticated and advanced astrophysics research projects in the world and Peter's appointment adds that extra layer of integration between our work here and that of our European colleagues".
The LOFAR ERIC Council is the governing body of the LOFAR radio telescope consortium, providing overall oversight and direction for the world's largest and most sensitive low frequency radio telescope.