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 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
