Professor Michele Dougherty appointed as Astronomer Royal

Above: Professor Michele Dougherty.
Image courtesy Amanda Clark, Cabinet Office

Professor Michele Dougherty has been approved by King Charles III to be the new Astronomer Royal and will be the first woman to hold this position since the role was first created in 1675.

The role of Astronomer Royal was first created with the goal of discovering how to determine longitude at sea when out of sight of land, and the holder of this position was based at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

The previous appointment, Lord Rees, is retiring from the role after 30 years.

Advising on astronomical matters
Today, the role is an honorary one, awarded to a prominent astronomer who is expected to advise the Monarch on astronomical matters.

Professor Dougherty will hold the role alongside her current positions as:

• Executive Chair of UK Research and Innovation’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
• President-elect of the Institute of Physics
• Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London

Speaking of her new appointment, Professor Dougherty said: "I am absolutely delighted to be taking on the important role of Astronomer Royal. 

"As a young child I never thought I’d end up working on planetary spacecraft missions and science, so I can’t quite believe I’m actually taking on this position. In this role I look forward to engaging the general public in how exciting astronomy is, and how important it and its outcomes are to our everyday life."

UKRI’s Chief Financial Officer and Accounting Officer Siobhan Peters, said of the appointment: "Warm congratulations to Professor Michele Dougherty on her appointment to the distinguished position of Astronomer Royal. 

"This honour is both a richly deserved recognition of Michele’s lifelong work and commitment to the field of astronomy and a fantastic platform from which to celebrate the importance of scientific research in our understanding of the Universe.

"We hope it will inspire many more people to consider astronomy and space science as a future career."