Why do we choose these specific things to study? 

The universe is a big place, and no one institution can study all astrophysical phenomena! Our institution has chosen to focus on the following areas of interest to scientists and the public:

• Planets around other stars 
  • This is an unprecedented time in human history in which all kinds of fascinating planets are being discovered around other stars.
  • One of the greatest discoveries within our reach is confirmation of life on other planets - that we are not alone!
• The first stars and galaxies to be born in the universe
  • The oldest objects in the universe can tell us many things, including where elements such as gold, lead, and uranium came from!
  • We are interested in how the universe today came to be, full of stars and planets, not just a molecular soup
• Environments of extreme gravity: black holes and neutron stars
  • Extreme environments are like enormous laboratories for testing our theories: is relativity the best model to explain observations?
  • What are the densest objects in the universe even made of!?
  • What are the most extreme places in the universe like?

Why is it necessary to build custom instruments?

In short, there is no store - no "Acme Instrument Company" - where scientists can buy off the shelf systems to propel their research forward. The mass production of such instruments is simply not feasible: the pace of technology development, the specificity of the scientific goals, the requirements of precision, the time it takes to characterize and test the systems, and the cost of detectors and other components makes each instrument unique. In fact, in the entire history of our research institute, the only time an instrument has been copied is when the original was destroyed in a rocket failure and we had enough spare parts to rapidly replace it!