Richard is a Dutch astrophysicist based at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. His research in astrophysics and the history of science, includes work on stellar populations and star clusters in nearby galaxies, stellar variability and the astronomical distance scale, and the history of maritime navigation. Richard is passionate about education, transferable skills training and engagement beyond the scholarly community. He is a Rising Scholars Steward, helping to guide the development of the community, and facilitates on Rising Scholars online courses and contributes to other community events. He is a volunteer guide and consultant with the Australian National Maritime Museum. He is active in the International Astronomical Union as President of the Education, Outreach and Heritage division and holds and has held a number of senior leadership and governance roles at local, domestic and international levels.

See Rising Scholars blog posts by Richard here.