In 1881 he was put in charge of the new course on astronomical physics at the Royal College of Science (now part of Imperial College). Then in 1885 he was promoted to the worlds first professor of astronomical physics at the Royal College of Science.

At the college, the Solar Physics Observatory was built for him. He led this observatory as director until 1913.

Lockyer, however, did far more than just work at the observatory. He promoted the sharing of the latest advances of science on an international basis by founding the scientific journal NATURE which still exists today. Also he campaigned for better science education and played a prominent role in introducing chemistry and physics to the cirriculum of secondary schools in England and Wales.