AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has further strengthened its role in one of the world’s most ambitious scientific projects, as UT astronomer Daniel T. Jaffe has been appointed president of the international consortium building the Giant Magellan Telescope, the most powerful optical telescope ever attempted.
The announcement, made Jan. 13 by the GMTO Corporation, comes as the telescope project advances through critical construction and planning milestones. Jaffe becomes one of two UT astronomers now holding top leadership positions within the consortium. Taft Armandroff, director of UT’s McDonald Observatory, was elected chair of the GMTO board of directors in November.
The leadership changes arrive at a pivotal moment for the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert and is expected to transform astronomical research once operational.
“Texas Astronomy, much like the state it calls home, has built a reputation for big ideas and bold follow-through,” said Jaffe, a professor of astronomy who served as UT’s vice president for research for nearly a decade. “Our research has expanded humanity’s understanding of the cosmos, while our instruments have advanced the limits of what we can observe. Once complete, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be an incredible asset to continue this work, both for astronomers here at UT and our fellow GMT institution Texas A&M, for Texas astronomy more broadly and for our partners across the globe.”
Brian Schmidt, a Nobel Prize-winning astronomer and vice chair of the GMTO board, said Jaffe was selected through an international search for his rare blend of scientific expertise and leadership experience.
“He brings a rare combination of scientific excellence, world-leading expertise in building astronomical instruments, and a proven ability to lead international research initiatives,” Schmidt said. “He has secured major federally funded research centers and knows how to grow projects through public-private partnerships, making him ideally suited to guide the Giant Magellan Telescope through its next phase of construction.”
Once completed, the Giant Magellan Telescope will feature seven massive mirrors, each 8.4 meters in diameter, giving it 10 times the light-collecting power and four times the spatial resolution of the James Webb Space Telescope. The observatory will allow scientists to study the earliest galaxies, investigate dark matter and energy, and search for potentially habitable planets with unprecedented clarity.
UT Austin is a founding partner in the project and has contributed both funding and technical expertise. Jaffe also served as the lead scientist behind one of the telescope’s flagship instruments — the Giant Magellan Telescope Near-Infrared Spectrograph — designed to advance the study of planetary formation, small stars and other near-infrared phenomena.
With Jaffe now stepping into the presidency and Armandroff guiding the board, UT’s influence within the global observatory continues to expand. Jaffe succeeds Robert N. Shelton, who announced his retirement from the role last year.
Jaffe brings extensive leadership experience to the position, having served as UT’s vice president for research from 2016 to 2025 and previously as chair of the university’s astronomy department. His work in advanced astronomical instrumentation has helped reshape modern telescope design, including technologies now used in both ground-based observatories and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
“Dan brings decades of leadership in research, astronomy instrumentation, public-private partnerships and academia,” Armandroff said. “His deep understanding of the Giant Magellan Telescope, combined with his experience leading large research enterprises and cultivating a collaborative environment, make him exceptionally well suited to lead GMTO through its next phase of construction and toward operations.”
Momentum behind the project has continued to build. In June 2025, the National Science Foundation advanced the observatory into its Final Design Phase, a major step toward eligibility for federal construction funding. The consortium has also expanded, with Northwestern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently joining the partnership, bringing the total to 15 institutions worldwide.
“I am honored to lead the Giant Magellan Telescope at this exciting stage,” Jaffe said. “I look forward to working with our consortium partners and the U.S. government to advance construction. For me, as for the U.S. astronomical community and our international partners, the Giant Magellan Telescope represents a profound leap in our ability to explore the universe and employ a host of new technologies to make fundamental discoveries.”
Originally reported by UT News.
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