The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) was founded in 1946 by the famous Armenian scientist Viktor Ambartsumian (1908-1996, IAU President 1961-1964 and ICSU President 1968-1972). At present it is one of the National Values recognized by the Armenian Government (2013), hosts the IAU South West and Central Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (SWCA ROAD, since 2015), is included in the list of Outstanding Astronomical Heritage (OAH, since 2021) and its largest observational product, Markarian Survey photographic plates collection is recognized as UNESCO documentary heritage item and is included in its “Memory of the World” International Register (2011). The Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS, founded in 1999) is based on BAO and the Armenian Virtual Observatory (ArVO, created in 2005) is one of the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) 22 National Projects. BAO holds one of the largest spectroscopic databases in the world, the Digitized First Byurakan Survey (DFBS) with its 40 million low-dispersion spectra. The main observing instruments are the 2.6m classical telescope (one of the biggest in the region) and the 1m Schmidt telescope (one of the biggest wide-angle telescopes in the world). There are 9 Research Departments at BAO: “Astronomical Surveys”, “Non-Stable Phenomena”, “Young Stellar Objects”, “Astrochemistry, Astrobiology and Exoplanets”, “Active Galaxies”, “Theoretical Astrophysics”, “High Energy Astrophysics”, “Cosmic Compact Objects and Relativistic Gravity”, “Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy”. In addition, there are 5 Infrastructural Departments: “Observational Astronomy”, “Astroinformatics”, “Applied Astronomy”, “Regional Astronomical Centre” and “Public Relations”. BAO is rather active in organizing international and regional meetings and schools. 7 IAU meetings (1966, 1986, 1989, 1998, 2001, 2013 and 2023), the European Annual Meeting in 2007, the first International Conference on CETI (1971), UNESCO Regional Conference (2017) and many others have been organized. In 2006, BAO started a series of Byurakan International Summer Schools (BISS) and 8 such schools have been held so far. One of them, in 2010, was combined with the IAU ISYA. In 2019, Regional Astronomical Summer Schools (RASS) series was started and 3 such schools have been held (2019, 2021, 2023), one combined with the world first Inter-Regional Astronomical Summer School (IRASS).
Dr. Areg Mickaelian is the Head of the Research Department at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) in Armenia. As the BAO Director since 2017, he has held pivotal roles in international astronomical bodies, including the International Astronomical Union (IAU) South West and Central Asian region. Dr. Mickaelian's research spans diverse astronomical phenomena, from blue stellar objects to extragalactic radio sources. Actively engaged in projects like the Revelation of Early Stages of Galaxies Evolution, his commitment to advancing cosmic understanding is evident. Dr. Mickaelian has made significant academic contributions throughout his career through visits to esteemed institutions globally. He has garnered numerous honors, including the Republic of Armenia President's Annual Prize in Physics, the World Summit Award for the best e-Science Project, Top-100 Most Productive Scientists of Armenia, Tigran Metz medal from Aspetats Academy of International Security (2017), Russian International Academy of Tourism medal (2019). He has 425 publications, according to NASA/ADS, including 168 papers in refereed journals, 131 proceedings of meetings, 24 books and booklets, 17 papers in books, 22 electronic catalogs, etc.