Welcome to Marina Rejkuba's web site
I am an associate astronomer at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and head of the ESO's User Support Department (USD). I divide my time between work on scientific projects and support to ESO Operations.
My scientific interests are focused on the study of the resolved stellar content and globular cluster systems of nearby galaxies, with the aim to understand their formation and evolution as well as near field cosmology. Dwarf galaxies, which are the most numerous galaxy type in the Local Universe offer powerful probe to test the standard cosmology model, through measurements of their spatial distribution and dark matter content. Within LEWIS collaboration we are probing the ultra diffuse (dwarf) galaxies in a galaxy cluster environment with MUSE, the integral field spectrograph at the ESO's Very Large Telescope. Globular clusters, stellar populations and kinematics are used to establish the dark matter vs baryonic content in these extremely low surface brightness galaxies. I have written a review about the Globular Cluster Luminosity Function as distance indicator and have been testing different methods for distance measurements. Pulsating variable stars, such as Classical and Type 2 Cepheids, RR Lyrae and Mira variables, can be used to obtain accurate and precise distances and thus calibrate the Hubble Constant, one of the key cosmological parameters. Our ISSI team EXPANDING Universe, led by my former student Anupam Bhardwaj, aims to improve the precision of stellar distance indicators, thus addressing the so-called Hubble Tension -- the discrepancy between measurements of the expansion rate of the Universe derived from the early universe via the Cosmic Microwave Background and the local measurements using variable stars, tip of the red giant branch and supernovae. I have also studied the stellar populations, extinction and metallicity distribution of the densest regions of our Galaxy as a member of the VVV survey and its extension VVVX, as well as follow-up spectroscopic bulge surveys such as GIBS, the FLAMES Large Programme.
In my functional role at ESO, I lead its User Support Department, which provides support to observers who use ESO's Paranal Observatory facilities, assisting Science Operations Team at the observatory in efficiently executing the service mode observations, as well as defining user requirements and overseeing the development and implementation of observation tools. Visiting Astronomers Travel office in USD manages organisation of travel and logistics for all astronomers travelling to ESO's observatory sites in Chile for their science observing runs. Since late 2023, USD is responsible for delivery and maintenance of the La Silla Paranal Observatory (LPO) telescopes scientific schedule, including also the constraints on the science time availability from new projects, engineering and maintenance activities. The LPO schedule is publicly accessible online. In my role of head of USD, I am the main contact for ESO's Users Committee, which is one of ESO's governing bodies advising ESO director general on matters concerning the use of ESO facilties for ALMA and La Silla Paranal Observatories, and constituting a link between ESO and its users community.
On the right you'll find the links to places I studied at, worked at, or visited for extended periods to collaborate with my colleagues, and on the top links to my research, curriculum vitae, and contact details.
A final standard disclaimer: the opinions expressed in this site
do not reflect in any way the opinions of ESO.