Xavier Barcons

Xavier Barcons, born on July 16, 1959, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain, graduated with a degree in Physics from the University of Barcelona in 1981 and obtained a PhD in Science from the University of Cantabria in 1985. They worked at the University of Cantabria and the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), held the position of Director of the Instituto de Física de Cantabria, and contributed to various committees and working groups within the European Space Agency. Since September 2017, Xavier has served as the Director General of the European Southern Observatory. Their research focuses on Astronomy, particularly Active Galaxies and X-ray sky surveys.