Alan M Watson

I am a researcher at the Institute of Astronomy of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City. A major focus of my work is time-domain astronomy, with an emphasis on developing instruments and observing strategies capable of responding rapidly to evolving cosmic events and capturing their earliest phases, when the physical processes underlying some of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe can be studied. I serve as the technical lead of COLIBRÍ, a 1.3-m robotic telescope specifically designed for rapid follow-up of transient sources, particularly the early optical afterglows of gamma-ray bursts, and its instrument TEQUILA, a new-generation polarimeter designed for rapid, high-precision measurements of polarization in transient and variable sources. TEQUILA is partly funded by SCEECS, and I am developing the instrument in close collaboration with Dr. Noémie Globus. We are currently commissioning TEQUILA to perform optical polarimetry of relativistic jets associated with gamma-ray bursts and blazars, with the goal of monitoring their magnetic activity and probing the structure and evolution of magnetic fields in these objects—central questions in the SCEECS research program.