John Richards is a leading scholar in remote sensing. He has published widely and is Deputy Chair of the Australian Space Council. His broader engineering expertise has been recognised through appointment to Australian Research Council committee , including chairing the Discipline Panel on Engineering Earth and Applied Sciences for two years. He sits on the Fulbright National Selection Committee, wa an expert panel member for the 1995 Major National Research Facilities Program and convened an expert panel to advise on the 1995 Australia Prize.
He is Deputy Rector at the University College, Australian Defence Force Academy, and holds the Chair in Electrical Engineering.