Dr Jesse Van De Sande is the ASTRO3D research fellow at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy at the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. He is an observational astronomer who uses many of the world's most iconic and powerful telescopes, including the four 8 meter telescopes that comprise the VLT, the Very Large Telescope high up in the Andes in Chile. He is researching galaxies at low and high Redshift up to 15 billion light years away, and his research focuses on how massive galaxies form, evolve, and die. Jesse co-leads a team which has published new and amazing discoveries about our very own Milky Way Galaxy, which some say are destined to re-write the astronomy textbooks …. And he has a long history with the famous SAMI survey. In his generous in-depth interview we hear about his journey from a small village in northern Netherlands to researching the largest structures in our universe. He brings us up to date with the SAMI and GECKO surveys, his outreach work, his latest research and collaborations and his work on the promotion of Nuclear Fusion energy and our need to solve pervasive social problems. You will love how Jesse showcases his perfectionist approach to complex and sky-breaking science with absolute and approachable clarity. From this interview you will come away with a rich and clear understanding of both this exceptional scientist and his wonderful science. Enjoy!

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