Thedirector of the Royal Greenwich Observatory was the senior scientist responsible for the administration of theRoyal Greenwich Observatory from 1972 until the institution's closure in 1998.

Executive responsibility for theRoyal Observatory, Greenwich, London, had rested with theAstronomer Royal from the institution's foundation in 1675. This practice continued when the observatory moved toHerstmonceux Castle in 1948 and was renamed the Royal Greenwich Observatory.^[1]

However, the title Astronomer Royal was separated from directorship of the observatory after the retirement ofRichard Woolley in 1971.Following this,Margaret Burbidge was appointed director, andSir Martin Ryle (1918–1984) was appointed Astronomer Royal in an honorary capacity. The Astronomer Royal no longer had any association with the observatory after this time.^[2][3][4]

Directors took action to modernise the institution and to establish anew observatory on the island ofLa Palma in theCanary Islands. The director oversaw the move of the Royal Greenwich Observatory from Herstmonceux toCambridge in 1990, and continued in charge until the observatory was closed by theParticle Physics and Astronomy Research Council in 1998. The post expired with the institution.^[2][3][4]

The directors of the Royal Greenwich Observatory as a post distinct from Astronomer Royal were:^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

• 1972–1973Margaret Burbidge
• 1973–1975Alan Hunter (1912–1995)^[6]
• 1976–1981Francis Graham Smith
• 1981–1995Alexander Boksenberg
• 1995–1998 Jasper Wall

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