Michele Dougherty
| Michele Karen Dougherty | |
|---|---|
 Prof. Michele Dougherty addressing the April 2015 meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society | |
| Born | 1962 |
| Residence | London |
| Institutions | Imperial College London |
| Alma mater | University of Natal[1] |
| Known for | Magnetometer instrumentation for the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft |
| Notable awards |
Fellow of the Royal Society (2012) [2] Hughes Medal (2008) |
Michele Karen Dougherty FRS[2] (born 1962)[3] is a Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London.[4] She won the 2008 Hughes Medal[5] of the Royal Society "for innovative use of magnetic field data that led to discovery of an atmosphere around one of Saturn's moons and the way it revolutionised our view of the role of planetary moons in the Solar System".
She was distinguished "for her scientific leadership of the international NASA-ESA-ASI Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn and its moons". As Principal Investigator of the operation, data collection and analysis of observations from the magnetic field instrument on board the Cassini spacecraft, she strongly contributed to improve our understanding of Saturn and its moons. Her work has led to the discovery of a dynamic atmosphere with water and hydrocarbons constituents at Saturn's moon Enceladus. Such results had a strong impact on our view of planetary systems, opening up new possibilities for spacecraft missions to Saturn's moons in search for life.[6]
Before working on the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, Professor Dougherty was involved in the magnetometer team for the Jupiter analysis of the Ulysses mission. She was also Guest Investigator on the NASA Jupiter System Data Analysis Program as part of the Galileo unmanned spacecraft.[7]
Dougherty became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2012[2] and was recognized by the UK Science Council as one of the 100 top UK living scientists.[8]
She is Principal Investigator for J-MAG - A magnetometer for ESA's JUICE, JUpiter ICy moons Explorer due for launch June 2022.
References
- ↑ "Ukzn alumnus awarded for her excellence in science". UKZN (University of Natal). Archived from the original on 2013-03-17. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- 1 2 3 "Professor Michele Karen Dougherty FRS | Royal Society". Archived from the original on 2012-04-20.
- ↑ "Michele Dougherty, British astrophysicist". Science Photo Library. 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ↑ "Professor Michele Dougherty, Professor of Space Physics, Imperial College London". Archived from the original on 2012-04-20.
- ↑ List of 21st century winners of the Hughes Medal
- ↑ Professor Michele Karen Dougherty FRS
- ↑ Michele Dougherty FRS Home Page
- ↑ Congratulations Professor Michele Dougherty - named in top 100 Scientists