First woman appointed Astronomer Royal
Prof Michele Dougherty will take on the prestigious role after the retirement of Lord Martin Rees, who held the position for 30 years.
The title Astronomer Royal has been awarded to a leading expert in the field for 350 years, and has had 15 separate holders in this time. The honorary role involves a duty to inform the monarch of astronomical matters.
The position was first created in the 17th century by Charles II as a way to discover a way to determine longitude at sea when out of sight of land, 'for perfecting the art of navigation'.
John Flamsteed, a Derbyshire astronomer, was the inaugural Astronomer Royal and also made the first recorded observations of Uranus. He laid the foundation stone of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, where the Astronomer Royal is based to this day.
'I am absolutely delighted to be taking on the important role of Astronomer Royal,' said Prof Dougherty. '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.'
Prof Dougherty is professor of space physics at Imperial College London, and her research focuses on the magnetic field interactions of planets, especially those of the gas giants, Saturn and Jupiter.
She was the principal investigator of the magnetometer on Nasa's Cassini spacecraft mission, which analysed data of Saturn's magnetic field. Prof Dougherty's work led to the discovery of water vapour around the Saturnian moon Enceladus, thereby showing it could harbour life.
Prof Dougherty also worked on the Galileo mission to Jupiter, and the current Juice mission to the Jovian moons Europa, Callisto and Ganymede, which is scheduled to arrive in 2032.
When Juice launched in 2023, she said the project was trying to detect tiny magnetic fluctuations, which is 'like trying to find lots of needles in a haystack, and those needles are changing shape and colour all the time'.
She has been instrumental in furthering humanity's knowledge of the solar system and is highly decorated with awards and recognition, including the Hughes Medal, a CBE, and being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Women in Stem
Prof Dougherty has also spoken about the importance of inclusion and diversity in science, particularly around the value of women in Stem fields.
In 2022, she criticised headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh for saying that girls shun physics at A-level because of an aversion to 'hard maths'.
Prof Dougherty said at the time: 'We have worked incredibly hard in the UK in recent years to ensure that anyone who is interested in studying physics feels supported and enabled to do so, and this is something we will continue to focus on.
'I am so very proud of all that my students and staff achieve as they carve out their careers – irrespective of their gender. It is astounding to me that senior leaders in the UK continue to make such unbelievably stereotypical comments, which are not backed up by data.'
Prof Dame Angela McLean, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said: 'Warm congratulations to Prof Michele Dougherty on her appointment to the distinguished position of Astronomer Royal. This is a fitting recognition of her outstanding work and enduring commitment to the field of astronomy.'
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