Engagement

I'm Valia Giannakaki, Acting Head of Festivals.

My work mostly involves managing the logistical planning and delivery of the annual British Science Festival (BSF) and the UK Science Festivals Network conference.

I specialise in environmental and social sustainability and have a passion for making the BSA’s events greener and more accessible each year.

I also oversee the recruitment for our temporary BSF Assistant positions, focusing on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and providing pathways to employment for people without much experience or those who are underrepresented in the events sector.

Please get in touch if you have ideas on how to improve our event operations, would like to get involved in running next year’s British Science Festival, or are interested in all the Health & Safety work we did to be able to deliver an in-person festival in 2021! (She/her/hers)

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I'm Louise Cooke, Engagement Officer.

I work on developing the programme for the British Science Festival and aiding its delivery. This includes engaging with a variety of audiences with the Festival and monitoring Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion practises within the wider sector.

My role also involves bringing festivals together as a community of practice as part of our UK Science Festivals Network (UKSFN). Through this, we coordinate various projects and events to support our members, such as our annual conference and the Making Connections project.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you are interested in joining the UKSFN, are curious about the British Science Festival, or have an opportunity for science festivals that you would like us to shout about! (She/her/hers)

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I'm Kate Orchard, Head of Community Engagement. 

I lead our Community Engagement team to co-create exciting Community Engagement Programmes designed to support diverse communities and inspire them to engage with science and research sector. We put inclusivity and accessibility at the heart of what we do. Importantly, we want to celebrate the talent, skills and insight of communities and provide opportunities for them to help shape the programmes we deliver.

Our current Community Engagement programmes include the Community Leaders and Buddies programme which use principles of community organising to link researchers with community group leaders. In addition to, the Highlands and Islands Climate Change Community Grant, and a new Community Engagement Pilot testing out approaches to place-based, community-led research. Please do join our Community Engagement Network to stay updated on the BSA’s work with community groups.

Do get in touch if you are interested in discovering more about our Community Engagement Programmes, or would like to explore partnership opportunities and collaborations. (She/her/hers)

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I’m Christina Fuentes Tibbitt, Community Engagement Manager.

I manage our portfolio of Community Engagement Programmes, including British Science Week Community Grants, Community Leaders, Community Buddies and the Community Engagement Network. These programmes aim to support and empower organisations that work with groups who are underrepresented in science.

Get in touch with me if you’d like to discuss any of the above programmes, in addition to volunteer management, partnership and relationship building, project development, evaluation and data analysis. (She/her/hers)

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I'm Helen Animashaun, Community Engagement with Research Manager.

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I’m Dom Neergheen, Community Engagement Officer.

I mostly work on our Community Engagement Programmes which support organisations that work with people who are underrepresented in science. These include the Community Leaders programme, Community Buddies, the Community Engagement Network, and the British Science Week Community Grants. I also assist the team with micro-grants and future funds.

Ask me about anything and everything about community engagement at the BSA.

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