Biography

Dr Vanessa Moss is an astronomer based at CSIRO, working at the boundaries between astronomy, telescope operations and data science. Prior to this role, she worked overseas at ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy in research and operations and at the University of Sydney as a CAASTRO postdoctoral fellow. In her research, she studies phenomena across the universe, from the hidden structure of the Milky Way halo to dense gas casting shadows against distant black holes.

At CSIRO Space & Astronomy, Vanessa is Head of Science Operations for the groundbreaking ASKAP telescope and manages the flow of data from specification until the raw data reaches the supercomputer for processing. She leads a collaboration contract with Caltech on the DSA-2000 project, overseeing the Observational Planner (OPL) subsystem for autonomous telescope operations. She is also a core member of FLASH (First Large Absorption Survey in HI), a global team searching for absorption towards black holes, and engages in outreach whenever she can to share the excitement of exploring the universe.  

Vanessa has extensive experience in big data analysis/visualisation, automation of complex systems and science communication across numerous contexts. She is a strong advocate for optimising all interactions by maximising accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability, and leads "The Future of Meetings" community of practice to explore and disseminate new ways of meeting and collaborating.

Vanessa is also passionate about ensuring stable and effective career structures for early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs), building stronger relationships and development opportunities between academia and industry, and providing equitable and flexible opportunities across academia. She was an Executive Member of the EMCR Forum under the Australian Academy of Science from 2021-2024, representing and supporting early/mid-career researchers across Australia.

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