Dr. Francesca Primas

Ms. Francesca Primas is a professional astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (Munich area, Germany), the leading intergovernmental science and technology organization in astronomy. She obtained her university degree in Italy and then spent most of her PhD and first post-doctoral appointment in the USA, working at the University of Chicago. She joined ESO in 1997 as a Fellow, and then moved to a staff position in the Operations and Data Management Division. Between 2006 and 2015 she was the Head of the User Support Department; now she is Full Astronomer in the Observing Programme Office and she is the Chair of ESO Faculty. For 15 years, Francesca Primas has been involved in several initiatives (inside and outside her institute) and international working groups on gender equality, diversity and the promotion of women in astronomy. She has been a member of the American Astronomical Society Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy, then a member and now Chair of the International Astronomical Union Working Group on Women in Astronomy.  Currently, she covers various representative roles for her institute and/or for the IAU on international projects dealing with gender equality issues. This year, she was awarded the ICRAR Visiting Fellowship for Senior Women in Astronomy, in Perth (Australia).