Candidate Statement: Kristin Kruse Madsen

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Nominated Office: Secretary

Affiliation: California Institute of Technology

Position/title: Staff Scientist

PhD institution: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (2007)

Areas of scientific interest:

  • X-ray instrumentation; detector and multilayer coatings applications for optics
  • Supernova remnants; Pulsar wind nebulae
  • Black Hole physics; accretion geometry and coronae
  • Dust scattering haloes
  • Inter-instrumental cross-calibration

AAS positions & dates:

  • AAS member since 2015
  • AAS HEAD member since 2015
  • HEAD executive committee member (2017 – 2020)

Other relevant positions and experience:

  • Chair of the International Astronomical Consortium of High Energy Calibration (IACHEC)
  • Service on numerous telescope time allocation and proposal review committees

Candidate Statement:

I am very honored to be nominated as a candidate for the position of Secretary. I am relatively new to the AAS family and the reason for that was that early on in my career I only had a very vague idea what AAS could do for me. It really wasn't until I joined the HEAD committee that I became aware of the benefits and the work the AAS has done for the community, especially in leading the way for greater equality and addressing head-on the problems of harassment that unfortunately still persists in our working environment, and which often targets younger staff and students. I believe this is one of the AAS most important missions and I would like to see and promote a better connection to the younger members of our community. The AAS needs to continue being a champion for positive change, but the good work is not always reaching those who need to know about it. With my experience as a HEAD committee member I am well aware of the challenges we face reaching all of our community, and I would like to make that my mission and hope for your support.