
Leopoldo Infante became the director of the Las Campanas Observatory on July 31, 2017.
Since 2009, Infante has been the founder and director of the Centre for Astro-Engineering at the Chilean university. He joined PUC as an assistant professor in 1990 and has been a full professor since 2006. He was one of the creators of PUC’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and served as its director from 2000 to 2006. He also established the Chilean Astronomical Society (SOCHIAS) and served as its president from 2009 to 2010.
Infante received his B.Sc. in physics at PUC. He then acquired a MSc. and Ph.D. in physics and astronomy from the University of Victoria in Canada. Infante has been visiting professor at Princeton University and The Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. He has also held research positions at the European Southern Observatory, University of Bonn in Germany, and the Vatican Observatory, among others. In addition he has significant international teaching experience.
Infante has published over 370 papers, which have been cited more than 10,800 times. He has earned numerous awards and belongs to the Chilean Astronomical Society, the American Astronomical Society, The American Institute of Physics, and the International Astronomical Union.