In this seminar I will focus on how the avalanche of new data changes our views on how our Galaxy formed and evolved. Precise astrometric, spectroscopic, photometric and asteroseismic data can be combined to pin down different processes that have shaped the Milky Way. This data will be discussed and illustrated with examples of what is possible to

The previous years have witnessed a big leap forward in our understanding of the Milky Way. Thanks to the highly accurate astrometry and photometry provided by the Gaia mission in combination with large photometric and spectroscopic all-sky surveys, we have now a clearer view of the chemo-dynamics of the stellar populations that constitute our

To understand the early phases of galaxy formation, metal-poor stars in the local universe play a special rôle, allowing to trace both how galactic assembly proceeds, and the conditions in which early star formation proceed. Metal-poor stars in our Galaxy and its satellites are fossils of these past processes and have therefore been the subject of