🚀 Dr. Ioannis Georgantopoulos is X-ray astronomer and director of research at the National Observatory of Athens in Greece. His research interests include supermassive black holes (Active Galactic Nuclei). He is the leader of the Greek team working on the ESA’s ATHENA WideFieldImager detector. His latest paper is on the co-evolution of super-massive black holes and their host galaxies. In AHEAD2020 he is leading the Public Outreach Work Package.

How do you describe your journey in astronomy so far?

📣 I obtained my Ph.D. from the University of Durham in the United Kingdom. I worked for many years as a Research associate at the X-ray Astronomy Group of the University of Leicester. I was also a visiting researcher for two years at the Astronomical Observatory of Bologna holding a Marie Curie research grant. I helped forming a small X-ray Astronomy group at the National Observatory of Athens currently consisting of four permanent researchers, two postgraduate researchers and four postgraduate research students.

Why did you choose to study astrophysics?

📣 I always wanted to become a physicist. Astrophysics just came first as my favourite physics subject.

Do you have a favorite scientific theory?

📣 The first image of a black hole by the Event  Horizon Telescope.

Why is AHEAD2020 important to you?

📣 AHEAD2020 joins the efforts of the High Energy Astrophysics groups in Europe and then naturally offers the path for the advancement of European X-ray astronomy missions.

What is the best word describing astronomy?

📣 “Excitement”  is the word in the beginning, “administration” is the word 30 years after!

#AHEAD2020 is a consortium aimed at integrating and opening research infrastructures across Europe for High Energy Astrophysics, Multi-Messenger Astronomy and also Gravitational Waves. Discover more about AHEAD2020 and the Hot and Energetic Universe by watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbT4o3-FRII&ab_channel=AHEAD2020