Director General
Dr. Andreas Kaufer
Born in Heidelberg, Germany, Andreas Kaufer graduated with a PhD in Astronomy from Heidelberg University in 1996. He began his professional career at the Heidelberg State Observatory, where he conducted theoretical and observational research on the atmospheres of massive stars and the chemical evolution of galaxies. As part of his research, he also developed and built astronomical instrumentation to enable his observations.
In 1999, Andreas joined ESO’s science operations group to contribute to bringing the newly built Very Large Telescope (VLT) into operation. His primary contribution was the commissioning of UVES, one of the first scientific instruments on the VLT, and establishing its science operations. In 2003, Andreas became responsible for all optical, infrared and interferometric instruments operating at the Paranal.
In 2006, Andreas became Director of the La Silla Paranal Observatory, and in 2008 he was appointed ESO’s first Director of Operations, with responsibility for the end-to-end operations of ESO’s observatories in Chile and the European contribution to ALMA operations.
On 1 September 2026, Andreas became ESO’s Director General. He will lead the organisation through a particularly important period in its history, including the completion and start of operations of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), while shaping ESO’s scientific and technological future beyond the ELT and identifying the next major programme for the Organisation.
In his free time, Andreas enjoys travel and photography. A selection of his travel photography can be found on his personal website.
Quotes
“I am grateful for the trust that ESO’s Member States have placed in me as I take on the role of Director General. ESO is a remarkable organisation with an exceptional track record of scientific and technological achievement, and I am committed to building on that success. Looking ahead, our priorities will be to strengthen engagement with the scientific community, remain at the forefront of innovation, bring the ELT successfully into operation, and prepare ESO for the future beyond the ELT era. Above all, our success depends on the talented people who make it possible, and I look forward to working together to ensure ESO continues to enable world-leading science.”
“My priorities for the next five years are very clear. First, we will focus on successfully completing and commissioning the ELT. But for me the ELT is not the end of a journey, it's the beginning of a new chapter. It will spark a revolution in observational astrophysics and we cannot even anticipate what we are going to discover. In parallel we will work towards maximising the scientific return of all our ESO facilities in a safe, efficient and effective way to ensure that they can run for many decades to come. My goal is to prepare ESO for the future beyond the ELT First Light. We will achieve that by investing into our people and in technology and by thinking about the next generation of scientific opportunities.”
“What makes ESO truly special to me is its ability to bring together countries, people and an extraordinary breadth of expertise. Together, we are achieving things that no single country could accomplish alone. It is a unique combination of scientific ambition, engineering excellence, operational expertise and long-term vision. This is only possible thanks to the continued support of our 16 Member States and our host country, Chile. I look forward to working with them, and with the entire ESO community, as we take on the exciting challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Multimedia
Past ESO Directors General
Below you find the list of the Directors General of ESO as from its creation in 1962.
| Prof. O. Heckmann | 1962-1969 |
| Prof. A. Blaauw | 1970-1974 |
| Prof. L. Woltjer | 1975-1987 |
| Prof. H. van der Laan | 1988-1992 |
| Prof. R. Giacconi | 1993-1999 |
| Dr. C. Cesarsky | 1999-2007 |
| Prof. T. de Zeeuw | 2007–2017 |
| Prof. Xavier Barcons | 2017–2026 |