Professor Anna Marie Moore is an astronomer who was involved in the formation of the Australian Space Agency as part of the expert reference group of the Australian Government. 

She serves as the Director of the Institute for Space at the Australian National University and holds the distinguished title of Vice Chancellor’s Entrepreneurial Professor. Professor Moore previously led the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre at Mount Stromlo Observatory. Her accolades include the 2025 Jackson-Gwilt Medal, the 2024 Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service, and multiple awards for leadership and innovation in space and diversity.

Moore co-invented the Echidna optical fibre positioning system, revolutionizing highly multiplexed spectroscopic surveys on large telescopes. Her pioneering research also established Antarctica as a premier site for ground-based astronomy. Additionally, she co-led the Palomar Gattini-IR project, producing the largest area infrared transient sky survey to date, and established Australia’s largest multidisciplinary space institute

Education

Moore was awarded a BA from Cambridge University, 1994, a Masters of Space Sciences from The University of London, 1995, and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Sydney, 2000.

Career

Moore was employed at the Arcetri Observatory from 2004 to 2005, California Institute of Technology from 2005 to 2017, and the Australian National University 2017 onwards. She has received funding from various sources including the National Science Foundation, for SGER: United States participation in the 2007 Traverse to Dome A- Optical Sky Brightness and Ground Layer Turbulence Profiling.  Moore also has received funding from the NSF for Gattini-UV South Pole camera research and the Australian Research Council for research on the Kunlun Infrared Sky Survey.

At the Australian National University, she was director of Mount Stromlo’s Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre (AITC) from 2017 - 2021. During her tenure as Director of AITC, Moore played a role in broadening the scope of space testing services for the aerospace sector in both Australia and New Zealand. She also ensured access for the space community to the AITC's National Space Test Facility (NSTF).

Moore established and is Director of the Australian National University Institute for Space (InSpace). As InSpace Director, Moore has exceeded normal diversity benchmarks by cultivating a workforce that is 75% women in an industry that is traditionally male-dominated. Her initiatives have facilitated the inclusion of female researchers within the InSpace Mission Specialist team and Technical Advisory Groups, two bodies that influence Australia's overarching space strategy.

By early 2020, during the COVID-induced closures affecting much of Australian business, Moore facilitated the reopening of NSTF's first facility at ANU. This ensured the continual fulfilment of heightened space testing demands from space companies, start-ups, and universities across Australia.