Joe Anderson
Joe was a staff astronomer from 2016 to 2024, acting as FORS2 instrument scientist. Since 2024 he has been seconded to the Directorate for Science as ESO Chile faculty chair and Head of the Office for Science in Chile. 

Romain Thomas
Romain was staff astronomer from 2020 to 2023. He supported VISIR and developed the SCUBA software framework for quality control of scientific data. Since 2023, he has been the head of Research Software Engineering at Sheffield University.

Heidi Korhonen
Heidi was Staff Astronomer from 2020 to 2023. She was Gravity instrument scientist, providing support to VLTI operations. Since 2023 she has been at MPIA Heidelberg as head of its technical departments and project coordinator. 

Bin Yang
Bin was Staff Astronomer from 2016 to 2022. She was SINFONI and ERIS instrument scientist, providing support on UT4 and UT2. In March 2022 she started a position as faculty astronomer at Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile. 

Pedro Figueira
Pedro was Staff Astronomer from 2018 to 2022, providing support on UT3. He was ESPRESSO instrument scientist for three years. In March 2022 he was hired at the Observatory of Geneva to manage and upgrade the Swiss telescope at La Silla, while performing independent research.

Alain Smette
Until December 2021 Stephane Brillant was the Operations Scientist within PSO, and Deputy Department Head. In December 2021 he moved internally to the newly established Paranal System Engineering group, in the role of System Scientist.

Stephane Brillant
Until December 2021 Stephane Brillant was the Operations Scientist within PSO, and Deputy Department Head. In December 2021 he moved internally to the newly established Paranal System Engineering group, in the role of System Scientist.

Julien Milli
ESO PhD Student from 2012 to 2014.
Fellow from 2014 to 2016
Staff Astronomer and Adaptive Optics System Scientist from 2016 to 2019, also part of the SPHERE Instrument Operations Team and in charge of the Astrometeorolgy Group.

As of January 2020, he is Assistant Astronomer at IPAG (Institut de Planetologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, France).

Dimitri Gadotti
Fellow from 2009 to 2013. Staff Astronomer from 2013 to 2017; provided support to UT1 and UT2, and as FLAMES Instrument Scientist, UT2 team coordinator, training coordinator and 4MOST Paranal contact point.

In June 2017 he joined the Observing Programmes Offices at the ESO Headquarters in Germany and is now an Associate Professor at Durham University.

Julien Girard
Staff Astronomer from 2009 to 2017. Lead Instrument Scientist of NACO (2009-2015) and SPHERE (2014-2017) as well as AO Group Coordinator (2009-2015).

As of 2017, he is a Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (Baltimore, MD, USA), supporting JWST/NIRCam and Coronagraphy.

Antoine Merand
Staff Astronomer from 2008 to 2016. Instrument Scientist of AMBER (2008-2010) and PRIMA (2010-2013). From 2012 to 2016, he was VLTI System Scientist. As of 2017, he is VLTI Programme Scientist at ESO Headquarters in Garching.

Henri Boffin
Staff Astronomer from 2010 to April 2016, Instrument Scientist of FORS2 and HARPS as well as ESPRESSO 2nd Instrument Scientist, and Training coordinator. Supported observations on UT1, UT2 and VLTI. As of 2016, Astronomer in the User Support Department, ESO, Garching, supporting SPHERE, FORS2, MUSE and KMOS.

Christophe Dumas
Staff Astronomer from 2004 to 2015, Head of Science Operations Department and SINFONI Instrument Scientist. As of 2015, Observatory Scientist of the TMT, Pasadena, CA, USA. In 2024, he became the ATC UK Director.

Dimitri Mawet
Staff Astronomer from 2011 to 2015, Instrument Scientist of SPHERE. As of 2015, Associate Professor of Astronomy and JPL Senior Research Scientist at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.

Lorenzo Monaco
Staff Astronomer from 2010 to 2015, Instrument Scientist of UVES, HARPS and XSHOOTER 2nd Instrument Scientist. While Fellow in La Silla (2005-2008), he was EFOSC2 Instrument Scientist (and HARPS 2nd Instrument Scientist). As of 2015, Professor at Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile.

Giacomo Beccari 
Staff Astronomer from mid-2013 to end of 2014, Instrument Scientist of OMEGACAM.

As of 2015, he is an Astronomer in the User Support Department (USD), ESO Garching. USD responsible for XSHOOTER.

Yazan Al Momany
Staff Astronomer from 2008 to 2014, Instrument Scientist of VISIR.

As of 2014, Staff Research Astronomer, Padova Observatory, Italy.

Valentin Ivanov
Fellow on Paranal starting in 2001. From 2004 to 2008, he was a Support Astronomer for SofI on La Silla. From 2008 to 2014, he was Staff Astronomer and Instrument Scientist for ISAAC, VIRCAM, VISIR and SofI.

As of 2014, he is an Astronomer in the Data Product Department (now SDQ group), ESO Garching.

Jean-Philippe Berger
Staff Astronomer from 2009 to 2013, Instrument Scientist of AMBER.

In 2013 he moved to Garching to become VLTI Programme Scientist.

Kieran O'Brien
Staff astronomer from 2002 to 2009, Instrument Scientist for FORS spectrographs.

Joined USCB as a project scientist from 2009-2012 working on ARCONS instrument. In 2012, joined the instrumentation group at the University of Oxford.

Paola Amico
Staff Astronomer from 2005 to 2009, Instrument Scientist of NACO and AO team coordinator.

Since 2009, Instrument Physicist, ESO Garching.

Chris Lidman

ESO Fellow from 1995 to 1997 and Staff astronomer from 1998 to 2009, Instrument Scientist of IRAC1, IRAC2, SofI, ISAAC, and NACO.
In 2010 he became the Head of National Facilities Support, Australian Astronomical Observatory.

Swetlana Hubrig
Staff astronomer from 2001 to March 2009, instrument scientist of UVES, FLAMES, CRIRES.

In March 2009 she became Head of the Department "Stellar Physics and Stellar Activity" at the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), Germany.

Fredrik Rantakyro
Staff Astronomer from 2003 to 2008, Instrument Scientist of AMBER.

From 2008 to 2014, he worked as Associate Scientist at Gemini South, Chile, and Instrument Scientist for GPI. In 2014 he became Scientist at Gemini South, Chile and Instrument Scientist for GPI.

Olivier Hainaut
Staff Astronomer from 1998 to 2008, Head of the Science Operations Department. From 2008 until 2015, he worked as Astronomer in the Education and Public Outreach Department, ESO Garching.

Since 2016, Olivier is the End-to-End Operations Scientist in the Data Management and Operations Division, ESO Garching.

Stefano Bagnulo
Staff Astronomer from 2002 to 2007.

In 2007, he became Astronomer at the Armagh Observatory, UK.

Emmanuel Jehin
ESO Fellow from 2000 to 2003. Started as Staff Astronomer from 2003 to 2007, and Instrument Scientist of FORS1 and 2.

In 2007 he became a FNRS Belgium Research Associate, Astronomer at the Liège University, Belgium.

Christian Hummel 
Staff Astronomer from August 2003 to April 2007.

As of April 2007, he has worked as Astronomer in the User Support Department, ESO Garching.

Jura Borissova
Staff astronomer from 2004 to 2006, Instrument Scientist of ISAAC.

As of 2006, she is Full Professor at the University of Valparaiso, Chile.

Olivier Marco
Staff astronomer from 2000 to 2006, Instrument Scientist of NACO.

In 2008 he started working as the Media and Communications Officer at the CNRS, France. He is also in charge of CNRS internet radio (wikiradio.cnrs.fr).

Eric Pantin
Staff astronomer from August 2004 to March 2005 on a time-limited mission corresponding to VISIR mounting and commissioning on the telesope. In March 2005,  he went back to his home institute in Saclay. He was also a Fellow for 15 months at La Silla between August 1996 to December 1997, Instrument Scientist for TIMMI.

In 2007 he became Astronomer at the CEA, Saclay, France.

Andreas Kaufer
Operation Staff Astronomer from 1999 to 2003, Instrument Scientist for UVES, FLAMES as well as Head of the General Operations Group in SCIOPS.

In 2003 to 2006 he was the Instrumentation Scientist within the Director's Office and the Head of the Paranal Instrumentation Group within Paranal Engineering.

From 2006-2024, Andreas was Director of the La Silla Paranal Observatory. Additionally, since 2008 he is ESO's Director of Operations and as of September 2026 is ESO's next DG. From 2009 to 2011, he was also Acting Head of the ESO ALMA Support Center.

Leonardo Vanzi
Joined ESO as a Fellow in May 1998. Became Staff Astronomer in 2000. During this period, he worked at La Silla as Instrument Scientist of SOFI, at APEX and at Paranal as Instrument Scientist of VISIR.

He joined PUC in 2008 as Associate Professor at the School of Engineering and Center of Astro Engineering, in Chile.