Speaker biographies
Ms Kate Beckmann
Kate Beckmann works with SISTech@Heriot-Watt, a not-for-profit sustainability research and consultancy group based at Heriot-Watt University. She is the Project Manager of EPSRC’s Knowledge Transfer project ISSUES, set up to increase the uptake of research findings from EPSRC’s Sustainable Urban Environments programme.
Prior to joining SISTech, Kate worked on environmental and development issues in India and Africa as well as the UK. She has extensive experience in working with business, including work to promote behaviour change to promote resource efficiency, managing project partnerships and stakeholder relationships at all levels, and in workshop development and facilitation. Kate joined the UK Sustainable Development Panel in early 2006.
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Ms Lulie Biggs
Lulie Biggs is creative director of ActionDog, an organisation which devises and produces creative projects for young people. The aim of these cross-curricular events, which Lulie designs and directs, is to inform and engage youngsters in a creative forum. Working closely with scientists, schools and artists, Lulie combines visual arts with aspects of biomedical science. As an advocate of the potential to engage new audiences using a backdoor approach, Lulie has teamed up gerontologists with fashion designers, pathologists with kinetic sculptors and musicians with heart specialists.
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Dr Bob Bloomfield
Bob Bloomfield is Head of Innovation and Special projects at The Natural History Museum, London.
He completed a Doctorate in Genetics before his career in Science and Public Engagement. He joined The Natural History Museum to pursue his interest in informal learning and interpretative design. This culminated in leading major projects including the Museum’s Earth Galleries and the Darwin Centre Phase I.
Bob is senior policy developer and strategic manager for initiatives in the field of Science and Society and gave evidence to the 1999 House of Lords Select Committee examining this issue. His interest in the cultural and societal context of Science has led into explorations of science within wider culture and the engagement of the arts with science. Bob was awarded a NESTA Dreamtime Fellowship on 2002 which he used retracing the first voyage of Captain James Cook – writing of his encounters with the past and present along the path of the voyage.
Bob is currently championing UK plans for celebrating Charles Darwin’s achievements through Darwin200 and for partner plans for the International Year of Biodiversity.
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Professor Mark Brake
Mark Brake is an author, broadcaster and professor in the communication of science, who has engaged the public with science on five continents. The UK's first chair in science communication, he has been professor in the subject at the University of Glamorgan since 2002. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Director of the Science Communication Research Unit at the University of Glamorgan. He was a founding member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute science communication group between 2003 and 2006, and is one of the notable academics in the European Science Communication Network.
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Ms Nicola Buckley
Nicola has managed the Cambridge Science Festival for five years, and it is now the largest free science festival in the UK attracting 30,000 visitors each year. The Festival includes over 170 events and takes place in University of Cambridge science departments and museums, as well as in partner venues. Partners include Anglia Ruskin University, numerous schools, businesses and community groups. The Festival won the Directory of Social Change Public Body award in 2007. Nicola has degrees in History and Social Anthropology and is finishing an MSc in Science and Society with the Open University. Prior to working on the Cambridge Science Festival, she worked in fundraising and marketing for Addaction, Fight for Sight and Breast Cancer Haven.
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Dr Alan Cann
Alan Cann is a research scientist (virologist) with more than 15 years experience of online learning. In recent years, he has worked intensively with web 2.0 technologies in order to stimulate and inspire students, and to investigate the most appropriate ways in which these may be used to support researchers.
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Mr David Chalton
David Chalton is the Project Officer for the Dark Sky project, incorporating Dark Sky Scotland and the UK-wide Dark Sky Discovery, delivering astronomy outreach activities to audiences ranging from primary school classes, family groups, communities and professionals. Before Dark Sky, he worked at the Glasgow Science Centre as a Science Communicator.
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Mr Jonathan Chase
Jon is an early career researcher in science communication. Multi-talented, Jon has undergraduate degrees in both Aerospace Engineering, and Science and Science Fiction. As a post graduate practitioner in communicating science, Jon is actively involved in a number of science communication activities. His main focus is on exploring new and alternative methods of engaging the public with science, and demonstrating the various ways that science impacts upon our knowledge of the world.
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Dr Claire Cockcroft
Claire has a degree in Biochemistry from Oxford and a PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Cambridge. While a Postdoc, she was awarded a Media fellowship by the British Association of Science, working with Tim Radford at The Guardian and subsequently as a freelance science writer. After deciding to hang up her lab coat in 2001, Claire pioneered the development of a cross-disciplinary Masters Programme at Cambridge with Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Spotting a niche for a biotechnology-focused business course she designed and directed the Bioscience Enterprise Programme, aimed at aspiring bio-entrepreneurs and future leaders of the life science sector.
In June 2005, Claire joined the Babraham Institute, attracted by the entrepreneurial culture and opportunity to pursue her interest in public engagement and science communication. She has established a successful Science & Society Programme, delivering many novel science enrichment activities for schools including a 6th form summer Bioscience BootCamp, 6th form conferences, careers events, workshops exploring the scientific/ethical issues of research with animals and has established summer research schemes for 6th formers and undergraduates. As Head of External Relations, Claire deals with corporate communications, public engagement activities, PR/marketing for the campus including its vibrant Bioincubator and encourages an entrepreneurial outlook in PhD students and Postdocs through schemes such as 'Biotechnology YES' and other campus initiatives.
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Kate Beckmann works with SISTech@Heriot-Watt, a not-for-profit sustainability research and consultancy group based at Heriot-Watt University. She is the Project Manager of EPSRC’s Knowledge Transfer project ISSUES, set up to increase the uptake of research findings from EPSRC’s Sustainable Urban Environments programme.
Prior to joining SISTech, Kate worked on environmental and development issues in India and Africa as well as the UK. She has extensive experience in working with business, including work to promote behaviour change to promote resource efficiency, managing project partnerships and stakeholder relationships at all levels, and in workshop development and facilitation. Kate joined the UK Sustainable Development Panel in early 2006.
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Ms Lulie Biggs
Lulie Biggs is creative director of ActionDog, an organisation which devises and produces creative projects for young people. The aim of these cross-curricular events, which Lulie designs and directs, is to inform and engage youngsters in a creative forum. Working closely with scientists, schools and artists, Lulie combines visual arts with aspects of biomedical science. As an advocate of the potential to engage new audiences using a backdoor approach, Lulie has teamed up gerontologists with fashion designers, pathologists with kinetic sculptors and musicians with heart specialists.
Return to speaker page
Dr Bob Bloomfield
Bob Bloomfield is Head of Innovation and Special projects at The Natural History Museum, London.
He completed a Doctorate in Genetics before his career in Science and Public Engagement. He joined The Natural History Museum to pursue his interest in informal learning and interpretative design. This culminated in leading major projects including the Museum’s Earth Galleries and the Darwin Centre Phase I.
Bob is senior policy developer and strategic manager for initiatives in the field of Science and Society and gave evidence to the 1999 House of Lords Select Committee examining this issue. His interest in the cultural and societal context of Science has led into explorations of science within wider culture and the engagement of the arts with science. Bob was awarded a NESTA Dreamtime Fellowship on 2002 which he used retracing the first voyage of Captain James Cook – writing of his encounters with the past and present along the path of the voyage.
Bob is currently championing UK plans for celebrating Charles Darwin’s achievements through Darwin200 and for partner plans for the International Year of Biodiversity.
Return to speaker page
Professor Mark Brake
Mark Brake is an author, broadcaster and professor in the communication of science, who has engaged the public with science on five continents. The UK's first chair in science communication, he has been professor in the subject at the University of Glamorgan since 2002. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Director of the Science Communication Research Unit at the University of Glamorgan. He was a founding member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute science communication group between 2003 and 2006, and is one of the notable academics in the European Science Communication Network.
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Ms Nicola Buckley
Nicola has managed the Cambridge Science Festival for five years, and it is now the largest free science festival in the UK attracting 30,000 visitors each year. The Festival includes over 170 events and takes place in University of Cambridge science departments and museums, as well as in partner venues. Partners include Anglia Ruskin University, numerous schools, businesses and community groups. The Festival won the Directory of Social Change Public Body award in 2007. Nicola has degrees in History and Social Anthropology and is finishing an MSc in Science and Society with the Open University. Prior to working on the Cambridge Science Festival, she worked in fundraising and marketing for Addaction, Fight for Sight and Breast Cancer Haven.
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Dr Alan Cann
Alan Cann is a research scientist (virologist) with more than 15 years experience of online learning. In recent years, he has worked intensively with web 2.0 technologies in order to stimulate and inspire students, and to investigate the most appropriate ways in which these may be used to support researchers.
Return to speaker page
Mr David Chalton
David Chalton is the Project Officer for the Dark Sky project, incorporating Dark Sky Scotland and the UK-wide Dark Sky Discovery, delivering astronomy outreach activities to audiences ranging from primary school classes, family groups, communities and professionals. Before Dark Sky, he worked at the Glasgow Science Centre as a Science Communicator.
Return to speaker page
Mr Jonathan Chase
Jon is an early career researcher in science communication. Multi-talented, Jon has undergraduate degrees in both Aerospace Engineering, and Science and Science Fiction. As a post graduate practitioner in communicating science, Jon is actively involved in a number of science communication activities. His main focus is on exploring new and alternative methods of engaging the public with science, and demonstrating the various ways that science impacts upon our knowledge of the world.
Return to speaker page
Dr Claire Cockcroft
Claire has a degree in Biochemistry from Oxford and a PhD in plant molecular biology from the University of Cambridge. While a Postdoc, she was awarded a Media fellowship by the British Association of Science, working with Tim Radford at The Guardian and subsequently as a freelance science writer. After deciding to hang up her lab coat in 2001, Claire pioneered the development of a cross-disciplinary Masters Programme at Cambridge with Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Spotting a niche for a biotechnology-focused business course she designed and directed the Bioscience Enterprise Programme, aimed at aspiring bio-entrepreneurs and future leaders of the life science sector.
In June 2005, Claire joined the Babraham Institute, attracted by the entrepreneurial culture and opportunity to pursue her interest in public engagement and science communication. She has established a successful Science & Society Programme, delivering many novel science enrichment activities for schools including a 6th form summer Bioscience BootCamp, 6th form conferences, careers events, workshops exploring the scientific/ethical issues of research with animals and has established summer research schemes for 6th formers and undergraduates. As Head of External Relations, Claire deals with corporate communications, public engagement activities, PR/marketing for the campus including its vibrant Bioincubator and encourages an entrepreneurial outlook in PhD students and Postdocs through schemes such as 'Biotechnology YES' and other campus initiatives.
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