Welcome to the Institute of Astrophysics at FORTH (IA-FORTH). We are trying to understand the cosmos, and we are having tremendous fun while at it. We run a full-n-square operation, and we are proud of it: we seed each other’s ideas, support each other’s projects, complement each other’s strengths, delight in each other’s successes, and thrive together. Excellence and hard work are our values, and getting to the truth is our only scientific agenda. A brilliant sun and the cornucopia that is the Cretan land help keep our spirits high.
We are a young institute with a long history.
IA-FORTH was formally founded on March 2, 2018 and commenced operations in mid-2019, a decade after the Crete Astrophysics Group, under the leadership of Nick Kylafis, envisioned its creation. At that point, the Group had already been operating for nearly 30 years within the Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser (IESL) – FORTH and the Department of Physics of the University of Crete.
Our main research facility, the Skinakas Observatory, was dreamed up by Yannis Papamastorakis and founded in 1984 by FORTH, the University of Crete, and the Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) in Germany. Located 50 km from the city of Heraklion, on top of Psiloritis mountain at an altitude of 1750 meters, and just 12 km from Idaion Andron (the birthplace, according to tradition, of the king of gods Zeus), the Observatory is currently jointly operated by the Institute of Astrophysics and the Department of Physics of the University of Crete. Despite its proximity to Heraklion, the quality of the atmosphere at Skinakas Observatory is superb, making it an ideal location for high-level astronomical observations. Its telescopes have always been exceptionally well equipped. Over the past few years, and in collaboration with the IUCAA instrumentation lab in India, the Observatory has been operating as one of the foremost centers for optopolarimetry in Europe.
Theorists at the Institute routinely use the high-performance computing facilities of FORTH and GRNET, as well as the Metropolis HPC cluster of the Department of Physics.
As of late 2025, the core of the Institute consists of 12 permanent PhD members (IA-FORTH researchers or University of Crete affiliated faculty), 8 affiliated research fellows (faculty from universities outside Greece), and about 35 early-career scientists and trainees (postdocs and students of all levels). We are not a big place, but we do have critical mass, and we are not afraid to use it.
Claims of children’s songs to the contrary notwithstanding, the wheels of the bus (or of any Institute) don’t just go round and round; they require regular maintenance and frequent MacGyvering. Our exceptionally dedicated technical and admin personnel — a select team of 8 — shoulder this weight on a daily basis, and we are forever thankful for them.
Our foremost goal is astrophysics research. In the process, we train students for careers in astrophysics and beyond. We also see it as our societal responsibility to engage the wider community through outreach and education, to support national security where our expertise is relevant, and to promote economic growth by partnering with local authorities and the private sector.
We are as extroverted as a star in a globular cluster. We have long-term collaborations with research groups in leading institutes across the globe, including the Astronomy Department of Caltech and the Harvard Center for Astrophysics in the US, CEA-Saclay in France, MPA, MPE, MPIfR and RWTH Aachen in Germany, Cambridge University in the UK, the University of Oslo in Norway, the South African Astronomical Observatory in South Africa, and IUCAA in India. We are looking forward to collaborating with you, too. Come visit us soon.
And that’s where we’re at right now. As for where we go next — as our founding director liked to quote — it is tough to make predictions, especially about the future. All we can do is share our intent, as crystallized in our motto:
The sky is not the limit.
Prof. Vasiliki Pavlidou
Acting Director of IA-FORTH