Speaker biographies
Dr Penny Fidler
Penny Fidler is the Director of The Association for Science and Discovery Centres, a membership organisation representing over 50 of the UK’s Science & Discovery Centres and Museums. Together our centres attract 19.5 million visitors each year. Penny gained her PhD in neuroscience from Cambridge University. She has six years experience of working in a landmark millennium science centre including during the initial build phase. She has created numerous interactive science exhibitions ranging on topics from the body and the human mind, to light, sports and physics phenomena. Penny ran her own Exhibitions and Neuroscience Consultancy prior to taking this directorship in September 2007.
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Mr Matt Fletcher
Matt Fletcher is a performer, writer and director whose work generally takes place in community contexts and promotes an interactive relationship with audiences. He is co-founder of cross-media arts group ARTIFICE and performance troupe The Butlers, with whom he has created a quirky brand of science-themed street performance, working alongside astrophysicist Dr. Andrew Newsam. Matt is Senior Lecturer in Performance at Southampton Solent University.
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Ms Fiona Fox
Fiona Fox has a degree in journalism and 20 years of experience in working in media relations for high profile national organisations. Her career includes stints working for the Equal Opportunities Committee, National Council for One Parent Families, and CAFOD (a leading aid agency). Despite having no background in science, Fiona managed to persuade a distinguished panel of eminent scientists to take a risk and appoint her to become the founding Director of the Science Media Centre which opened in April 2002. The main remit of the Centre is to help restore public trust in science by persuading more scientists to engage more effectively with the big controversial science stories that hit the headlines. The Centre has grown from strength to strength - with a database of over 2000 scientists which is used by all sections of the national news media. The Science Media Centre has earned huge praise and respect from those who use its services and was the subject of a glowing Editorial in Nature magazine which paid tribute to the ‘robust leadership’ of its Director.
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Ms Joy Francis
Joy Francis is a journalist, researcher, project management consultant and managing director of Creative Collective (Media) Ltd, an organisational development consultancy that works with voluntary and statutory bodies, government departments and major NGOs to reach their constituencies, develop their governance and create sustainable initiatives. Joy has written and broadcast on health, media, the arts and social policy for national, specialist and ethnic press including Local Government Chronicle, Press Gazette, Mental Health Today, The Guardian, The Big Issue, Channel 4 online, BBC1’s Watchdog, Sky News, GMTV and BBC Radio 5 Live. From 2007-2008 Joy and virologist Dr Sheila Ochugboju worked with the British Council Southern Africa on its creative science programme for science communicators. Joy helped to develop and deliver tailored programmes on creative communication that facilitated the creation of the first African Science Café model, influenced by Café Scientifique. As a result of the programmes, the first African Science Cafés were launched in South Africa and Kenya in 2007, and continue to flourish. An online toolkit was launched and discussions are underway to determine the viability of a virtual African Science Café network.
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Ms Catherine Gater
Catherine Gater studied Materials Science at St Catherine’s College, Oxford and Science Communication at Imperial College, London, so she has a broad background in science and a keen interest in communicating scientific research. Having spent several years communicating science for employers as diverse as the Science Museum, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Diamond Light Source and Canterbury Christ Church University, Catherine is now Dissemination Manager for the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE project at CERN. EGEE is the largest multi-disciplinary grid infrastructure in the world, bringing together more than 140 institutions to produce a reliable and scalable computing resource available to the European and global research community. In her role with EGEE, Catherine manages the communications activities for the project, including websites, publications, events, media liaison and outreach to the business community, to encourage companies to make the most out of grid computing. Her goals are to help promote grid computing, expand the number of researchers using the grid and to embrace new communications channels, such as social networking sites, blogging and micro-blogging. As EGEE will draw to a close in 2010, grid computing in Europe is moving away from project-based operation to a sustainable long-term model. Catherine’s aim for the future is to make the transition of dissemination activities to the new European Grid Initiative structures as smooth as possible.
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Dr Daniel Glaser
Daniel Glaser is Head of Special Projects in public engagement at the Wellcome Trust. His team directs activities with young people, broadcast media and scientists’ public engagement. His scientific background involves brain imaging of the visual system. In 2002 he was appointed ‘Scientist in Residence’ at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and in 2005 received a Cultural Leadership Award from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). He has presented a television series for the BBC and co-chairs the Café Scientifique at the Photographers' Gallery.
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Mrs Alison Hardy
Alison Hardy spent 20 years in commercial sector marketing, designing communications strategies for products as diverse as chocolate, diamonds, alcohol, toothpaste, baby lotion and banking. Three years ago she made the leap into social marketing. She worked at Dr Foster Intelligence for two years before joining the Department of Health to work on the Change4Life programme.
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Dr Robin Hoyle
Following his PhD (Chemistry) Robin held research posts in Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow. As a researcher Robin became involved in science communication activity, developing shows that took chemistry out of the lab and to the general public in places as diverse as shopping centres and community fairs. In 2000 he joined the Glasgow Science Centre as their Outreach Co-ordinator, developing the ‘Science Circus’ programme that brought the science centre experience to socially and geographically remote areas. As a Staff Scientist at GSC Robin was instrumental in the delivery and training of live science show performances for both outreach and in-reach activity. His personal development at GSC has seen him move from frontline deliverer, through programme and exhibition development and planning, to strategic planning and implementation. Robin leads a strong creative team of scientists and educationalists that aims to inspire, challenge and engage all learners in science.
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Penny Fidler is the Director of The Association for Science and Discovery Centres, a membership organisation representing over 50 of the UK’s Science & Discovery Centres and Museums. Together our centres attract 19.5 million visitors each year. Penny gained her PhD in neuroscience from Cambridge University. She has six years experience of working in a landmark millennium science centre including during the initial build phase. She has created numerous interactive science exhibitions ranging on topics from the body and the human mind, to light, sports and physics phenomena. Penny ran her own Exhibitions and Neuroscience Consultancy prior to taking this directorship in September 2007.
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Mr Matt Fletcher
Matt Fletcher is a performer, writer and director whose work generally takes place in community contexts and promotes an interactive relationship with audiences. He is co-founder of cross-media arts group ARTIFICE and performance troupe The Butlers, with whom he has created a quirky brand of science-themed street performance, working alongside astrophysicist Dr. Andrew Newsam. Matt is Senior Lecturer in Performance at Southampton Solent University.
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Ms Fiona Fox
Fiona Fox has a degree in journalism and 20 years of experience in working in media relations for high profile national organisations. Her career includes stints working for the Equal Opportunities Committee, National Council for One Parent Families, and CAFOD (a leading aid agency). Despite having no background in science, Fiona managed to persuade a distinguished panel of eminent scientists to take a risk and appoint her to become the founding Director of the Science Media Centre which opened in April 2002. The main remit of the Centre is to help restore public trust in science by persuading more scientists to engage more effectively with the big controversial science stories that hit the headlines. The Centre has grown from strength to strength - with a database of over 2000 scientists which is used by all sections of the national news media. The Science Media Centre has earned huge praise and respect from those who use its services and was the subject of a glowing Editorial in Nature magazine which paid tribute to the ‘robust leadership’ of its Director.
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Ms Joy Francis
Joy Francis is a journalist, researcher, project management consultant and managing director of Creative Collective (Media) Ltd, an organisational development consultancy that works with voluntary and statutory bodies, government departments and major NGOs to reach their constituencies, develop their governance and create sustainable initiatives. Joy has written and broadcast on health, media, the arts and social policy for national, specialist and ethnic press including Local Government Chronicle, Press Gazette, Mental Health Today, The Guardian, The Big Issue, Channel 4 online, BBC1’s Watchdog, Sky News, GMTV and BBC Radio 5 Live. From 2007-2008 Joy and virologist Dr Sheila Ochugboju worked with the British Council Southern Africa on its creative science programme for science communicators. Joy helped to develop and deliver tailored programmes on creative communication that facilitated the creation of the first African Science Café model, influenced by Café Scientifique. As a result of the programmes, the first African Science Cafés were launched in South Africa and Kenya in 2007, and continue to flourish. An online toolkit was launched and discussions are underway to determine the viability of a virtual African Science Café network.
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Ms Catherine Gater
Catherine Gater studied Materials Science at St Catherine’s College, Oxford and Science Communication at Imperial College, London, so she has a broad background in science and a keen interest in communicating scientific research. Having spent several years communicating science for employers as diverse as the Science Museum, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Diamond Light Source and Canterbury Christ Church University, Catherine is now Dissemination Manager for the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE project at CERN. EGEE is the largest multi-disciplinary grid infrastructure in the world, bringing together more than 140 institutions to produce a reliable and scalable computing resource available to the European and global research community. In her role with EGEE, Catherine manages the communications activities for the project, including websites, publications, events, media liaison and outreach to the business community, to encourage companies to make the most out of grid computing. Her goals are to help promote grid computing, expand the number of researchers using the grid and to embrace new communications channels, such as social networking sites, blogging and micro-blogging. As EGEE will draw to a close in 2010, grid computing in Europe is moving away from project-based operation to a sustainable long-term model. Catherine’s aim for the future is to make the transition of dissemination activities to the new European Grid Initiative structures as smooth as possible.
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Dr Daniel Glaser
Daniel Glaser is Head of Special Projects in public engagement at the Wellcome Trust. His team directs activities with young people, broadcast media and scientists’ public engagement. His scientific background involves brain imaging of the visual system. In 2002 he was appointed ‘Scientist in Residence’ at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) and in 2005 received a Cultural Leadership Award from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). He has presented a television series for the BBC and co-chairs the Café Scientifique at the Photographers' Gallery.
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Mrs Alison Hardy
Alison Hardy spent 20 years in commercial sector marketing, designing communications strategies for products as diverse as chocolate, diamonds, alcohol, toothpaste, baby lotion and banking. Three years ago she made the leap into social marketing. She worked at Dr Foster Intelligence for two years before joining the Department of Health to work on the Change4Life programme.
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Dr Robin Hoyle
Following his PhD (Chemistry) Robin held research posts in Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow. As a researcher Robin became involved in science communication activity, developing shows that took chemistry out of the lab and to the general public in places as diverse as shopping centres and community fairs. In 2000 he joined the Glasgow Science Centre as their Outreach Co-ordinator, developing the ‘Science Circus’ programme that brought the science centre experience to socially and geographically remote areas. As a Staff Scientist at GSC Robin was instrumental in the delivery and training of live science show performances for both outreach and in-reach activity. His personal development at GSC has seen him move from frontline deliverer, through programme and exhibition development and planning, to strategic planning and implementation. Robin leads a strong creative team of scientists and educationalists that aims to inspire, challenge and engage all learners in science.
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