Elaine Sadler

Chief Investigator

University of Sydney

Biography

Elaine Sadler is the ATNF Chief Scientist at CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Sydney. She is an expert in the areas of astrophysics and galaxy evolution and has helped to lead several major astronomical surveys of the southern sky. As ATNF Chief Scientist, Elaine's responsibilities include providing strategic advice on the science direction of the ATNF and CSIRO's Square Kilometre Array (SKA) activities. She continues to carry out research in astronomy, and is co-leader of the 'First Large Absorption Survey in HI' (FLASH) project, which is using CSIRO's Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia to find out how the amount of neutral hydrogen in galaxies (the raw material from which new generations of stars can form) changes over cosmic time. Through her University of Sydney appointment, she is a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D). Elaine currently serves as Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science (2018-22). In this role, she liaises with overseas science academies and other bilateral and multilateral organisations to promote scientific excellence and understanding, and to advance global scientific collaboration.