About
Richard de Grijs is a prolific and popular public speaker with in-depth knowledge of astronomy and maritime history. He holds professional appointments as professor of astrophysics at Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia) and Executive Director of the International Space Science Institute–Beijing, a 25% secondment.
He recently published the first detailed biography of William Dawes, the astronomer assigned to the “First Fleet” from England to Australia (1787–1788), his second history of science book following the publication of Time and Time Again: Determination of Longitude at Sea in the 17th Century (2017). Richard spends his weekends as volunteer guide on the Australian National Maritime Museum’s historical (replica) tall ships, Captain Cook’s H.M.B. Endeavour and the Dutch East Indiaman Duyfken. He also guides and interprets on the Museum’s submarine H.M.A.S. Onslow and its destroyer, H.M.A.S. Vampire II.
He received numerous awards, including the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science from the Australian Academy of Science and a 2017 Erskine award from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). In addition to his academic accolades, in 2022 he was awarded the Blacktown Mayoral History Prize (Sydney). That year, he also received the Hella Mannheimer Award from the Hektoen International Journal of Medical Humanities (Chicago, USA).