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Portrait of Derek Charles Richardson

Derek Charles Richardson

Professor

301 405 8786
dcr@umd.edu 1112 Physical Sciences Complex
I joined the Department of Astronomy in August 2000. I have a B.Sc. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of British Columbia (1990) and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Cambridge (1993). My first postdoctoral position was at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics in Toronto (1993 to 1996). I then spent 3 years as a postdoc in the Astronomy Department at the University of Washington in Seattle, followed by 1 year there as a Research Assistant Professor before moving to Maryland. In July 2025, I plan to retire and become Professor Emeritus. My research interests include computational astrophysics, planet formation, planetary ring dynamics, asteroid evolution, and granular dynamics. As a theorist, I'm a faculty member of our department's Center for Theory and Computation.
Facilities:
Supercomputing

Latest Papers

Elliptical ejecta of asteroid Dimorphos is due to its surface curvature

| Nature Communications
Author(s): Hirabayashi, Masatoshi, Raducan, Sabina D., Sunshine, Jessica M., et. al
UMD Author(s): Derek Charles Richardson, Tony L. Farnham


Morphology of ejecta features from the impact on asteroid Dimorphos

| Nature Communications
Author(s): Ferrari, Fabio, Panicucci, Paolo, Merisio, Gianmario, et. al
UMD Author(s): Jessica M Sunshine, Derek Charles Richardson


Morphology of ejecta features from the impact on asteroid Dimorphos

| Nature Communications
Author(s): Ferrari, Fabio, Panicucci, Paolo, Merisio, Gianmario, et. al
UMD Author(s): Jessica M Sunshine, Derek Charles Richardson