NSF Supports Simons Observatory, Professor Jo Dunkley to be Co-investigator

May 19, 2023

On Tuesday, May 9th, The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a $53 million investment in partnership with the Simons Foundation to expand the Simons Observatory in Chile.  The focus of the observatory is the study of the “cosmic microwave background radiation that permeates the universe and contains hidden clues about how the early universe evolved into what it is now.”  The facility will be known as the Advanced Simons Observatory (ASO).

Princetonians are deeply involved in the project.  “ASO’s principal investigator is Mark Devlin of the University of Pennsylvania, a 1994-1995 Princeton University postdoc, and the three co-investigators are Jo Dunkley and Suzanne Staggs, both Princeton professors, and Jeffrey J. McMahon, a 2006 Ph.D. graduate of Princeton.”

David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation and Emeritus Professor of Astrophysical Sciences . "Adding public support to an ambitious, privately funded project is a terrific example of what can happen when two missions can dovetail — to everyone's advantage." 

Read the full NSF announcement here.

The Princeton University article can be found here.

Congratulations and good luck to the team!

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