IOP President-elect appointed to key science and technology role

The President-elect of the IOP, Professor Michele Dougherty, has been appointed Executive Chair of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Professor Dougherty, who is also Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London, will split her time between her role with the STFC and the presidency of the IOP, which she assumes in 2025.

The appointment was announced today by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, and Minister for Science, Lord Vallance.

Professor Dougherty is expected to take up the role of Executive Chair at STFC in January 2025 on secondment from Imperial College London for a term of three years. She takes up the post of IOP President in October 2025.

Sir Keith Burnett, the current President of the IOP, described the announcement as an exciting one both for Professor Dougherty and the IOP.

“This is an incredibly important role for the science and technology community and Michele is a superb appointment – both science and physics can only benefit from having Professor Dougherty in at the very heart of this vital institution.

“This appointment also sends a really clear message about the importance of physics to the transformation of our society and economy and can only increase the opportunities we have to argue the case for increased skills and investment in physics.

UK Research and Innovation (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 empower the UK’s world-class research and innovation system.”

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 a privilege to have been selected as Executive Chair of the STFC.

“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.  

“I am excited to work with colleagues across UKRI and the sector to enable the UK R&D landscape reach its full potential.”

Professor Dougherty has been a leading space physicist for almost 30 years, leading unmanned missions to Jupiter and Saturn.

She was the Principal Investigator for the magnetometer instrument on the Cassini mission to Saturn, which discovered an atmosphere around one of the planet’s moons, and she is currently the Principal Investigator for the magnetometer for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE).

Professor Dougherty was until recently Head of the Physics Department at Imperial College London, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Royal Society Research Professor.

She has been awarded:

• the Royal Astronomical Society Geophysics Gold Medal in 2017;
• a CBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List;
• the IOP 2018 Richard Glazebrook Gold Medal and Prize; and 
• the Royal Society Bakerian Medal and lecture in 2024.