With great pleasure, we are announcing Jennifer Marshall as the new Project Scientist for MSE. Welcome Jennifer!

Jennifer is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University. Her scientific interests include the study of near-field cosmology, specifically using metal-poor stars found in the halo of the Milky Way to better understand the formation mechanisms of the Galaxy and of the Universe as a whole. Most recently she has focused on studying the detailed kinematics and chemistry of satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, particularly those that have been discovered by the Dark Energy Survey.

As well as an impressive record of scientific discoveries, Jennifer is well known for her work on astronomical instrumentation. She led Texas A&M’s involvement in the Dark Energy Survey, producing the calibration systems that enable the unprecedentedly precise photometric measurements produced by the survey, and also in the HETDEX project, building the VIRUS spectrographs. She is the co-PI of GMACS, the wide field multi-object spectrograph that will be a first-light instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope. She is also the director of the REU Site in Astronomical Research and Instrumentation at Texas A&M, which brings talented undergraduates from other universities to conduct scientific research with Texas A&M astronomers each summer.

The previous Project Scientist, Alan McConnachie, is taking up a new position as Spokesperson of the MSE Management Group, and is looking forward to remaining closely involved with MSE in his new role.