South African Radio Astronomy Observatory
Thomas Kusel is a seasoned engineering professional with extensive experience in radio astronomy and systems engineering. Currently serving as Senior Program Manager for the SKA Program at South African Radio Astronomy Observatory since October 2022, Thomas leads the construction work packages for the SKA project. Previous roles include ngVLA Lead Systems Engineer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, overseeing the Systems Engineering team for the next generation Very Large Array project, and Head of Project for the MeerKAT Extension at SKA South Africa. Thomas has a solid background in systems engineering management, having established and led various engineering teams for significant radio telescope projects, including the MeerKAT and KAT-7. Educational credentials include a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town, a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering (Cum Laude) from the University of Pretoria, and an MBA (Cum Laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand.
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South African Radio Astronomy Observatory
The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), a facility of the National Research Foundation, is responsible for managing all radio astronomy initiatives and facilities in South Africa, including the MeerKAT Radio Telescope in the Karoo, and the Geodesy and VLBI activities at the HartRAO facility. SARAO also coordinates the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) for the eight SKA partner countries in Africa, as well as South Africa’s contribution to the infrastructure and engineering planning for the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope. To maximise the return on South Africa’s investment in radio astronomy, SARAO is managing programmes to create capacity in radio astronomy science and engineering research, and the technical capacity required to support site operations.