Imperial professor appointed Executive Chair of major UK science funding body

Michele Dougherty, Professor of Space Physics at Imperial, will be the next Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), specifically supporting research in astronomy, physics and space science, and operating world-class research facilities for the UK. 

I look forward to helping enable STFC and UKRI to achieve their ambitious goals and strategy. Professor Michele Dougherty

Professor Dougherty was appointed to the role of Executive Chair by the Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, and the Science Minister, Lord Patrick Vallance. She is expected to take up the role in January 2025, on secondment from Imperial for a term of three years. 

Professor Dougherty is renowned for leading uncrewed exploratory space missions to Saturn and Jupiter. She was the Principal Investigator for the magnetometer instrument onboard the Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn, and is currently the Principal Investigator for the magnetometer for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) of the European Space Agency, which launched in April 2023.

Critical support

Science Minister, Lord Patrick Vallance, said: “My congratulations to Professor Michele Dougherty on her appointment as STFC’s new executive chair and I welcome the wealth of experience she brings as an eminent space physicist. 

“STFC’s work supporting the physics community and building and maintaining major research infrastructure is critical for both fundamental and applied research – from designing new materials used in clean energy production to accelerating drug discovery. 

“By facilitating research which leads to new technologies being deployed across the economy, it can play a major part in creating UK wealth and generating economic growth. 

“I look forward to working with Professor Dougherty.” 

Professor Dougherty said: “It is an important time ahead for UK and international science with both challenges and many opportunities, and I look forward to helping enable STFC and UKRI to achieve their ambitious goals and strategy.   

“It is a privilege to have been selected as Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and I am excited to work with colleagues across UKRI and the sector to enable the UK research and development landscape to reach its full potential.”

Key partner

Among her accolades, Professor Dougherty has received the Royal Astronomical Society Geophysics Gold medal in 2017, a CBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List, the Institute of Physics 2018 Richard Glazebrook Gold Medal and Prize, and the Royal Society Bakerian medal and lecture in 2024.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Royal Society Research Professor, and was recently elected as President of the Institute of Physics for a two-year term. 

Imperial’s Provost, Professor Ian Walmsley, said: “This is an important role for UK science, and for Imperial. STFC is a key partner for our research, with many of our academics accessing their facilities or winning research funding for a range of activities from space science and particle physics to quantum technologies applied to new discovery.

"Michele’s appointment recognises her stature and expertise in science leadership and I’m sure you will join me in congratulating her on this exciting commission.” 

UKRI Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said: “I am delighted to welcome Professor Michele Dougherty to UKRI as STFC’s Executive Chair. Professor Dougherty has an outstanding record in space science and a strong and highly respected national and international profile.

"Her leadership, expertise and experience will be an invaluable asset to STFC and to wider UKRI as we continue to empower the UK's world-class research and innovation system.”