European cities in dynamic competition: Theory and case studies on urban governance, strategy, cooperation and competitiveness

Abstract

The author is Canadian, obtained a B.Sc in Engineering Physics at Queen's University in Canada and a Ph.D in Astrophysics at the University of Sydney in Australia, and spent most of his career as a senior scientist at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), based in Munich. He has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific papers, edited six books on astronomy and astrophysics, and written the book Cosmic Heritage: Evolution from the Big Bang to Conscious Life, published in 2011. His scientific interests have ranged from our galaxy to distant quasars and the reionization of the universe. A member of various international organizations and committees, he served as President of the International Astronomical Union's Division on Galaxies and the Universe and was instrumental in the establishment of Europe's participation in the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) project. Now retired, he and his Australian wife split their time between Sydney, Toronto and Europe, and he devotes himself to broadening his horizons in science, in the process having written this book.