Richard de Grijs obtained his PhD from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) in 1997, and held two postdoctoral positions (at the University of Virginia, USA, and the University of Cambridge, UK), before being appointed to a permanent post at the University of Sheffield (UK) in 2003. He joined the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University in September 2009 as a full professor, where he actively contributed to the Institute's development until February 2018. Richard moved to Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, as a full professor in March 2018. Until March 2021, he was Associate Dean (Global Engagement) at the University's Faculty of Science and Engineering; the role has since been discontinued for budgetary reasons. Richard was one of the scientific editors of The Astrophysical Journal from 2006 to 2012 and took on the role of deputy Editor of The Astrophysical Journal Letters in September 2012 (until June 2018). He is the founding director of the East Asian Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (2012-2016), as well as the international coordinator for China of the Institute of Physics (UK; 2009-2018). He was awarded the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science by the Australian Academy of Science, a 2013 Visiting Academy Professorship at Leiden Universityby the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a 2017 Erskine award by the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand). Richard's research focuses on (i) star clusters/stellar populations; (ii) stellar variability/the astronomical distance scale; and (iii) the history of maritime navigation (the 'longitude problem'). He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage and Specialty Chief Editor (Fundamental Astronomy) of Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.