C. Ferrari

I am astronomer at Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (Nice, France) and Director of SKA-France, a coordination leading the French preparation to the SKA Observatory (SKAO). Since 2021, I am Scientific Director of the Idex JEDI of Université Côte d'Azur, and, since October 2022, I am Scientific Delegate at CNRS-INSU. I obtained my Ph.D and my Habilitation from Nice Sophia-Antipolis University in 2003 and 2011, respectively. Since my Intra-European Marie Curie Fellowship (2004-2005), I oriented my research interests towards radio observations of the most massive gravitationally bound structures in the Universe - galaxy clusters - in order to study them as the largest “particle accelerators” in nature. Today, very interested in the development of low-frequency radio astronomy in France, I play a structuring role within the national community, with a particular focus in the development of the largest radio telescope in the world, the SKA. I am also very much in demand by the international community for leading roles in technical and scientific committees in charge of the preparation of the SKA. I recall here among others: nomination in 2016 among the four members of the “SKA- Athena Synergy Team”, in 2017 as chair of the SKA Science Assessment Team “Impact of SKA-Low frequency coverage” and, still in 2017, among the 5 members in charge of evaluating future antennas of the low-frequency telescope of the future SKA Observatory (SKA1-LOW). The year 2017 also saw my election as chairwoman of the General Assembly of the H2020 AENEAS Project (2017-2019) for the design of the SKA European Data Center. In 2018, CNRS has joined the SKA Organisation on behalf of SKA-France and I am now the French scientific representative in the Board of the SKA Organisation. At the end of 2018 I have been named one of the 3 external reviewers of the committee in charge of evaluating the Critical Design Review of Low Frequency Aperture Array, the SKA consortium in charge of designing SKA1-LOW. In 2020, I have been elected chairwoman of the European SKA Forum (ESKAF).