Kim Venn

Kim Venn is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Victoria and Director of the Astronomy Research Centre. Her research investigates the chemical evolution of galaxies through high-resolution spectroscopic analysis of metal-poor stars in the Milky Way and nearby dwarf galaxies. She leads large observational programs using facilities including the Gemini Observatory and is involved in next-generation instrumentation development.

Major research themes:

• Chemical signatures of galaxy formation in stellar atmospheres
• Nucleosynthesis in early universe environments
• Development of machine learning techniques for spectral analysis
• Next-generation astronomical instrumentation

Current projects include a 200-hour Gemini Large Program using the GHOST spectrograph to study dwarf galaxy formation, and involvement in the Pristine survey mapping metal-poor stars. She co-leads Canada's New Technologies for Canadian Observatories CREATE training program.