The Department of Astronomy is pleased announce that Prof Ted Williams, the incoming Director of the SAAO, has accepted an appointment as Honorary Professor as of the 1st of January, the start of his tenure as Director of the SAAO.

Ted Williams is coming to us from Rutgers University, where he was professor and associate chair of the Physics and Astronomy Department. Ted is no newcomer to South Africa. He has been a member of the board of Directors of SALT since 1998, and its Chair from 2006 to 2012. He is a leading authority on the structure and dynamics of elliptical and spiral galaxies, as well as astronomical instrumentation development, such as the Fabry-Perot instrument of SALT for which he was the principal investigator. His research expertise will hence provide ample opportunity for joint projects. We are looking forward to increasing our collaborative efforts with Ted and also the strong ties and fruitful interactions that exist between the SAAO and UCT.