Michele Dougherty

Michele Dougherty is a renowned space physicist and professor at Imperial College London, currently serving as the Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UKRI) and President-Elect of the Institute of Physics. She is best known for leading groundbreaking missions such as the magnetometer instrument on NASA's Cassini spacecraft and the principal investigator role for the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission to Jupiter. In 2025, she was appointed as the first woman Astronomer Royal in the title’s 350-year history, marking a historic milestone in UK academia and astronomy.

• Education: Ph.D. in Space Physics, University of Natal (South Africa)
• Leadership Roles: Executive Chair (STFC), President-Elect (Institute of Physics)
• Key Research: Planetary magnetospheres, space exploration, and interplanetary mission instrumentation

Her work spans planetary science, astrophysics, and computational methods, with a focus on Saturn and Jupiter systems. She has advanced gender equity in STEM and inspired future space research through her leadership in major scientific councils and advisory roles.