VISTA Management
VISTA is a result of a proposal to the Joint Infrastructure Fund by the 18 UK University members of the VISTA Consortium. The VISTA Consortium is led by Queen Mary University of London and consists of: Queen Mary University of London, Queen's University of Belfast, The University of Birmingham, University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, University of Central Lancashire, University of Durham, The University of Edinburgh, University of Hertfordshire, Keele University, Leicester University, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Nottingham, University of Oxford, University of St Andrews, University of Southampton, University of Sussex, University College London.
The Consortium appointed Queen Mary as the Lead Institution to undertake and to manage the Project on behalf of the Consortium. Queen Mary discharges its responsibilities as Lead Institution through the Principal Investigator (Prof Jim Emerson of Queen Mary) and has set up a Consortium Board and a Science Committee.
The VISTA Consortium Board (VCB) represents the views of Members of the Consortium to the Lead Institution on any matter connected with the Project.
The VISTA Science Committee (VSC) advises the Project Scientist and the Lead Institution on scientific matters connected with the Project and represents the views of Members of the Consortium on scientific matters connected with the Project to the Project Scientist and to the Lead Institution.
The VISTA Project Board (VPB), as PPARC* Board, is responsible for the supervision of the project. It meets regularly and interfaces with all Project Managers and Project Scientists. It is chaired by the Director of Programms, PPARC* . The PI is Vice Chairman.
Queen Mary appointed PPARC* to arrange for the delivery of the VISTA facility and to enable that PPARC* have set up a VISTA Project Office (VPO) at their UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh and a VISTA Project Management Committee (VPMC) to oversee the work.
The Consortium has arranged for the employment of a Dr Will Sutherland, of Cambridge University (now QMUL London), as Project Scientist to assist the VPO and the Consortium in delivery of the programme.
The VISTA Consortium web site is at: www.vista.ac.uk
The European Southern Observatory will operate VISTA as an ESO telescope and to enable this to be done cost effectively, VISTA is being made in a manner compliant with ESO standards in operation at their Cerro Paranal Observatory.
* As of the 1st of April 2007 PPARC is now part of the STFC