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About

William Cochrane is a leading astronomical instrumentation engineer whose work is central to the next generation of ground-based optical and near-infrared spectroscopy. His primary research focuses on the development of high-precision robotic positioning systems for multi-object spectrographs, most notably the MOONS instrument for ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Cochrane’s major contributions include the design and integration of the fibre positioning module (FPM) for MOONS, a system that configures 1000 optical fibres using individual robotic positioners to simultaneously observe a vast number of celestial targets. This work, detailed in his 2022 overview paper (7 citations), is critical to enabling MOONS’ unprecedented multiplexing capability. Earlier in his career, Cochrane pioneered the Micro Autonomous Positioning System (MAPS), a novel concept using miniature two-wheeled robots to deploy pick-off mirrors within instruments like the proposed EAGLE for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). His 2012 paper on MAPS testing (3 citations) demonstrated the feasibility of this innovative approach. With a cumulative impact spanning over a decade, Cochrane’s engineering solutions are directly enabling transformative surveys of the Milky Way and distant galaxies, solidifying his reputation as a key architect of modern multi-object spectroscopy.