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Michele Dougherty
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Michele Dougherty

STFC Executive Chair since 2025; space physicist and Cassini mission magnetometer investigator.

Last refreshed: 22 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Why is STFC's chief also the King's Astronomer Royal?

Background

Dougherty and UKRI chief executive Sir Ian Chapman are due to write to the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee addressing headcount reductions described as "probably in the hundreds", following UKRI's confirmation of a 58% cut to STFC national laboratory funding over four years.

Professor Michele Dougherty has been STFC's Executive Chair since January 2025, having previously been Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London, where she also headed the physics department. She was principal investigator on the magnetometer instrument aboard NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn, work that helped establish evidence for a subsurface ocean beneath the moon Enceladus, and she holds a CBE.

In July 2025 she was appointed the UK's first female Astronomer Royal in the post's 350 year history, acting as an official adviser to the monarch on astronomical matters. She now leads STFC through the same funding settlement that saw UKRI's chief executive questioned by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on 14 July 2026.

Common Questions
Who is Michele Dougherty?
Michele Dougherty is STFC's Executive Chair and a Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London, best known for leading the magnetometer investigation on NASA's Cassini mission.
What did Michele Dougherty discover about Enceladus?
As principal investigator on Cassini's magnetometer instrument, she helped establish evidence for a subsurface ocean beneath the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
Why is Michele Dougherty writing to the Commons Science Committee?
She and UKRI chief executive Sir Ian Chapman are due to address headcount reductions "probably in the hundreds" after UKRI's 58% cut to STFC funding.Source: event
When did Michele Dougherty become Astronomer Royal?
She was appointed the UK's first female Astronomer Royal in July 2025, ending 350 years of the post going to men.