Consultancy
Since 2014, Dr Backes serves on the managing board of the Namibia Scientific Society, since 2015 as its Vice-Chair and since 2023 as its Chair. He is member of the Collaboration Board and Steering Committee of the H.E.S.S. Telescopes since 2015 and also serves on the Steering Committee of the IAU Southern African Regional Office of Astronomy for Development. Further, from 2019 to 2021, he was a member of the South African SALT Time Allocation Committee (SASTAC), which he chaired from 2020 onwards. Since 2021 (re-elected in 2022), he was a Member of the Executive Committee of the Global Young Academy.