Candidate Statement: Michael J. West

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Nominated Office: USNC-IAU

Affiliation: Lowell Observatory(USRA)

Position/title: Deputy Director for Science

PhD institution: Yale University (1987)

Areas of scientific interest:

  • Galaxies
  • Galaxy clusters
  • Globular clusters
  • Large-scale structure
  • Public outreach

AAS positions & dates:

  • AAS member since 1986

Other relevant positions & experience:

  • IAU member since 1991
  • Canadian Gemini Science Steering Committee (1996-1998)
  • CFHT Scientific Advisory Council (1998-1999)
  • Board of Directors of the Canadian Astronomical Society (1999-2002)
  • University of Hawaii TAC (1999-2004)
  • Chief astronomy content advisor for the $28M NASA-funded Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii (2001-2006)
  • Chair, IAU Working Group on Communicating Astronomy with the Public (2007-2013)
  • Chair, ESO's postdoc, student and visiting scientists selection committees in Chile (2007-2013)
  • ESO-Gobierno de Chile Comite Mixto (2008-2013)
  • ALMA Visitor Center Advisory Committee (2009)
  • Canadian Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee (2012-2015)
  • Director of Maria Mitchell Observatory (2013-2015)
  • NOAO TAC (2015-2017)
  • Numerous NSF, NASA, NSERC and Canadian Space Agency grant selection committees

Candidate Statement: I would be delighted to serve on the U.S. National Committee for the International Astronomical Union (USNC-IAU), and believe that my experience and insights would allow me to contribute in valuable ways.

I have been an AAS member for 30 years, and a member of the IAU for 25. Having lived and held research/teaching positions on four different continents, I have a deep personal appreciation for the value and challenges of international science, and the important role that the IAU can play in this endeavor.

As a member of the USNC-IAU, I will work diligently to represent the interests of the U.S. astronomical community in the IAU – the largest society of professional astronomers in the world. Like the AAS, the IAU has a vital mission to foster international collaboration, to ensure diversity of our community, and to facilitate communications in astronomy's increasingly global village. It would be an honor to contribute my passion and my energy to this effort.