Alistair started his engineering career in the British army before leaving in 2001 to join the United Kingdom Astronomy Centre in Edinburgh where he managed the construction of a 4 meter IR Survey Telescope in Chile. Following this he moved to Munich where he is responsible for the E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope).
In February Alistair will move back to the UK where he has been appointed Deputy Director General/ Head of Programme for the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), a billion euro radio telescope array.
What is the ESO in Munich, and what is your role here?
The ESO is an inter-governmental organisation that provides astronomers with facilities in the Southern Hemisphere. It is currently made of 14 European states and one non-European which is in the process of joining. The organisation currently runs 3 observatories in Chile, both optical and radio, and employs some 600 staff, 45% of which are engineers.
The observatories include La Silla Paranal Observatory which is home to four 8m class telescopes, as well as two Survey Telescopes and some Auxiliary Telescopes.; the ALMA Observatory, which ESO manages with North American and East Asian partners, and has 66 12m radio antennas which can be moved around many base-plates to change their capabilities.
My role is to manage the development and building of the European Extremely Large Telescope, a 40m Class optical telescope which will be built on Cerro Armazones, a 3000m+ mountain 26km from the Cerro Paranal Observatory in Chile.
I manage a technical and project team which is coordinating the design and build contracts across the ESO Member States. This includes optical, control, mechanical, software and systems engineers. This all sounds high tech, but the latest contract I negotiated was the removal of the mountain top and the installation of 26km of road.
Why did you choose a career in engineering?
I became an engineer because I was always interested in technology; my brothers would always complain that I preferred a screwdriver to a football. I find engineering fascinating, starting with repairing my own bicycle as a child and moving on to repairing my father’s car. I still find it fascinating and I was rather humbled when I asked my daughter why she wanted to be a marine biologist. She responded that she wanted to do something that would interest her for her life, just as engineering continues to inspire me.
How long were you in the army for, and why did you choose to start your engineering career here?
I joined the army straight from school, and attended the RMA Sandhurst in 1973. This was followed by a short posting in a tank regiment before starting my degree training at RMCS Shrivenham. I chose to start my career with the army as I thought it offered interesting challenges and opportunities. I was interested in aeronautical engineering and thought the army offered a good career.
I started after training as an aeromechanical engineer serving in Hong Kong and Germany and was in the army for about 28 years. I gained experience in an armoured regiment and commanded an armoured workshop in the first Gulf War. I undertook a Guided Weapons MSc at RMCS Shrivenham and was part of the procurement team for LRATGW in Paris in TRIGAT.
I also served at RMCS, in charge of Guided Weapon training and then commanded the Helicopter Repair Battalion (7 Bn REME at Wattisham). Following a short tour as Colonel in charge of Army Guided Weapons, I served my last tour as Lynx Helicopter Programme Manager.
You’ve helped spearhead some of the most exciting engineering projects worldwide. How do they compare?
Engineering projects within astronomy are always challenging as astronomers are incredibly intelligent individuals who often believe they can manage large and complex projects.
This has given me experience with managing expectations and issues. I believe the comparison is similar; trying to interpret scientific requirements into engineering solutions. They are challenging and often the management of the engineers is also an issue.
As engineers we often prefer the complex solution to the simple solution. When the scientific complexities are high, we need to keep the engineering complexities simple.
On the E-ELT the complexity has been size; trying to maintain pointing and tracking on a 1500tonne structure. It is always attractive to look for complex mechanical solutions such as using exotic materials; in our case sticking to what we understand and focussing effort on control strategies has reduced the risk.
I have yet to start on the SKA, but the number of antennas is amazing and so the manufacturability will be a challenge. Astronomers are used to single dishes; on ALMA we manufactured over 60, and on SKA it will be hundreds.
What are some of the highlights and lowlights of what you have done so far?
The highlight for me is to see the first light image that is provided from the telescope once it has been constructed, and the science that results. As an engineer who pulls together so many aspects into one system, it is often unclear during construction whether the science will be achieved.
To me the low point is leaving a project that is not yet complete. I feel as though I am leaving part of me behind.
How long will construction on the SKA last, and what is hoped will be the outcome and benefit of this?
SKA will take, like most astronomical projects, about 10 years to complete the initial phase of construction which will provide a large array in Sothern Africa and two arrays in Western Australia. The science should be fantastic and should provide much more knowledge about the formation of galaxies and the rate of expansion of the universe. Radio telescopes look for emissions which were initiated by large activities in creation, be it from the big bang or the more recent birth of stars.
What is it about astronomy that you enjoy, and how does learning more about it benefit us all?
I am afraid I am not an astronomer and, even although I have worked within the community for 10 years, I am still far behind amateur astronomers in my knowledge. I have picked up a great deal in passing and see that it a fascinating field of science and discovery; to try and understand where our planet comes from and what is happening around us is amazing.
What benefits have you had from being a member of the Institution?
As a member I know that there is a network that I can rely on for help and advice. I have been encouraging others to join and have also helped some.
What advice would you give to young, developing engineers who are thinking about where their careers could take them?
My advice would be to follow your interest. I was initially interested in aviation and still am. When I left the army, I wanted a second career away from defence and fell accidentally into astronomy. Here I find that the core engineering skills I have learned are equally applicable. Do something in engineering that you find you enjoy.
On Thursday 23 January 2014 the Institution’s Germany Group host a lecture by Alistair entitled ‘A Mechanical Engineer and Large Telescopes’. This event, in Munich, will take place at 6pm in the Skybar of the European Patent Office, with an opportunity to further discuss this with him.
If you’re interested in taking part please contact the Group’s secretary Andy Storer CEng FIMechE by 15 January: GermanySec@imechenetwork.org
For more information on the Germany Group, please visit the Group’s Near You site.
More information on the European Southern Observatory can be found at www.ESO.org