Richard Anthony D'Souza

Father Richard Antony D’Souza, S.J., is an Indian astronomer and Jesuit priest who was appointed in 2022 as Director of the Vatican Observatory, one of the world’s oldest astronomical observatories and a scientific institution of the Holy See dedicated to astrophysical research and dialogue between faith and science.

Born in India in the 1980s, he joined the Society of Jesus after completing his secondary education, pursuing both a scientific and a religious path in parallel. He obtained a degree in physics from St Xavier’s College in Mumbai and subsequently undertook advanced studies in astronomy and astrophysics in the United States. He was awarded a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Michigan, specialising in the study of galaxies, dark matter and the formation of cosmic structures.

During his academic career, he collaborated with leading international scientific institutions and carried out research at observatories and university centres in the United States. He joined the Vatican Observatory as a Jesuit researcher, focusing in particular on processes of galactic evolution and gravitational interactions between galaxies and dark matter halos.

In September 2022, Pope Francis appointed him Director of the Vatican Observatory, succeeding Brother Guy Consolmagno, also a Jesuit. As director, he coordinates the Observatory’s scientific activities, including research programmes conducted at the Castel Gandolfo site and at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT) in Arizona. He also promotes international initiatives in science communication and training aimed at young astronomers from various countries.

His scientific output includes numerous peer-reviewed articles published in international astrophysics journals. Among his best-known contributions are studies on the distribution of dark matter in satellite galaxies, on the evolution of massive galaxies, and on cosmological simulations relating to the structure of the universe. His work has been published in journals such as Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and The Astrophysical Journal.