Core Support Expand I’m Mike Bobbett, Interim Head of Operations. I oversee the relationship with our external accountants and HR advisory firm. I also get to work with colleagues across the BSA to help manage our core services of Finance, Human Resources, and IT Support - which includes invoicing to reporting, and everything in between! I first encountered the BSA as a student member whilst studying Applied Biology at the University of Bath and have over fifteen years’ experience working as a qualified Chartered Accountant. Get in touch if you have a question, or are interested in hearing more about the Core Services Team. (He/him/his) [email protected] I'm Peter Benjamin, Finance Officer. [email protected] I'm Eleanor Sandy, Management Accountant. [email protected] I'm Victoria Jeal, Management Accountant. [email protected] I'm Noor Badshah, IT Manager. [email protected]
Policy, Partnerships and Impact Expand I’m Clio Heslop, the Head of Policy, Partnerships, and Impact. I lead a small team working to influence organisations from policy, business, civil society, media, research, and engagement sectors. I’m interested in making science institutions and spaces more inclusive to all, and in involving people in decision-making about science. I manage the BSA’s role in the Sciencewise consortium, I oversee events and activities for For Thought, plus I support my colleagues to run the Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, and our Future Forum programme. I have also been heavily involved in thinking through how to make the BSA more inclusive, through our Sustaining Excellence grant and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) action plan. I’m always keen to hear from other people working on EDI, so get in touch if you have questions, suggestions, or resources to share. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Giorgio D'Agostaro, Development Manager. My role involves forming and managing partnerships with external organisations which align to the BSA’s vision and mission, and ultimately help us work towards achieving them. Over the past 5 years, I have worked on delivering successful corporate partnerships for British Science Week, the British Science Festival, the CREST Awards, For Thought and our Future Forum series. If you would like to support the BSA’s work across one or more of our programmes, please do get in touch. [email protected] - I'm Agasty Baylon Yogaratnam, Development Officer. [email protected]
Engagement Expand Festivals I’m Antonio Benitez, the Head of Festivals (contractor). I am an experienced freelance consultant and advise the British Science Association and its staff on setting the strategy to develop and deliver the British Science Festival. The Festival is Europe’s longest standing science festival which connects people with researchers from across the scientific spectrum. It offers an inspiring programme of free events to the public over four or five days, attracting thousands of visitors each year. I am also the Chair of the UK Science Festivals Network (UKSFN) and am responsible for advising upon associated projects. The UK Science Festivals Network was established to unite, celebrate and develop science festivals in the UK. It meets several times a year to share best practice and discuss the future of the science festivals sector. The UKSFN advocates for the importance of science festivals in conversation with funding bodies and decision makers. Please get in touch with me if you would like to discuss any ideas about science festivals, partnerships opportunities and developing inclusive and creative science engagement. (He/him/his)[email protected] I'm Valia Giannakaki, Events & Festival Operations Manager. 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) [email protected] 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) [email protected] I'm Tallis Buchi, Festival Operations Officer. I mostly work on supporting the wider Festival team, particularly the Events & Festival Operations Manager, with the operational side of delivering the British Science Festival. This includes assisting with the logistical planning of events, the recruitment of the Festival Assistants as well as other administrative tasks. Got ideas on how we can deliver the best British Science Festival yet? Or, interested in getting involved? Get in touch! Feel free to ask me about Festival logistics too. (She/her/hers) tallis.buc[email protected] Community Engagement 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) [email protected] 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) [email protected] - 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 community engagement at the BSA. [email protected]
Communications Expand I’m Louise Ogden, Head of Communications. I lead our fantastic marketing and communications team to design and deliver the promotional campaigns for our programmes, as well as oversee our organisational tone of voice, brand, and messaging. I’m also a member of the BSA’s strategy group, where I work with our senior leadership team to set the strategic direction for the BSA. I’m interested in finding new ways to improve the inclusivity and accessibility of our comms output, and I have a real passion for the power of words and language to tell the story of the BSA’s work and our history. I also oversee the British Science Week programme – the BSA’s annual awareness week for science, which we’ve run since 1994 – so get in touch if you’d like to know more about the Week. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Beth-Louise Sturdee, Communications Manager. I oversee communications for our public-facing programmes including The Ideas Fund, our grants programme which enables the UK public to develop and try out ideas that address problems related to mental wellbeing. And also, the British Science Festival – a celebration of people, stories and ideas at the heart of science. I have a passion for bringing brands to life and telling a story by growing digital communities and creating real-world connections. In my current role, I have been developing plans to implement the Disability Confident scheme accreditation with a focus on neurodiversity, web accessibility, and recruitment. Get in touch if you would like to know more about or have ideas on how you think we can achieve this. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Anissa Alifandi, Corporate Communications Manager. I work on developing and supporting activities that embody our mission, vision, and strategic objectives – whether that’s through our own channels, in the media, or interactions with other organisations and audiences. I also provide the communications support for the policy/influencing work carried out by the APPG on D&I in STEM and at For Thought. I love exploring new ways of showcasing our work, so get in touch if you’re a creative looking for an interesting brief. Ask me about our 10-year objectives and share your ideas on how you think we should achieve them. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I'm Violet Yang, Communications Manager for Education. I mostly work on the communications and marketing of our education programmes, including CREST Awards, British Science Week, and other projects. I’m interested in enhancing our public profile in the science education sector and building a strong brand and reputation among educators, schools, and parents. I believe in the power of science education, which can bring life-changing opportunities for young people. Get in touch if you’re interested in how we promote our Education programmes. Whether it’s about our overall strategy or the nitty-gritty – like planning and delivery, to evaluation (and everything in between). I am open-minded and always welcome questions, creative ideas, and collaborations. [email protected] I’m Lily Shymanska, Corporate Communications Officer. I work on bringing the stories and voices involved in our programmes to life, through the power of words and digital content. I work closely on our series of Community Engagement programmes that support science engagement in underrepresented communities. And also, our Smashing Stereotypes campaign which showcases the diversity of the people and jobs in science – and that scientists are just like me and you. I’m always on the hunt for new ways to add an innovative flair to how we communicate what we do, so get in touch if you’re a creative with some new ideas. If you’ve ever read our monthly e-newsletter or BSA social media content, that probably came from me – so feel free to ask about those too. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Orna Herr, Communications Officer for Education. I work on promoting our education programmes, and discussing issues and ideas around STEM education in blogs and social media. I work closely with the Education team on CREST Awards and British Science Week. I am always keen to find new ways to communicate to teachers how CREST can be used to engage students with science, particularly students from groups underrepresented in STEM. Equitable education is the key, so I play a role in promoting various grants we have for schools in challenging circumstances. I lead the communications side of our popular British Science Week activity packs, from their initial development to shouting about them on social media in the run up to the Week! I run the British Science Week Twitter account year-round so follow for news and interesting facts! I also write the education newsletter, so send any questions about that my way. (She/her/hers) [email protected]
Grant Programmes Expand I'm Chris Manion, Head of Grants. I’m responsible for The Ideas Fund, which supports communities to work with researchers to try out ideas related to mental wellbeing. We are funding projects in four areas of the UK – Oldham, Hull, North West Northern Ireland, and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and announced our first round of grants in 2021. Projects are supported by our brilliant Development Co-ordinators, who are local to each area. We’re always interested in hearing from other funders, charities, or institutions who are doing similar work, either in the same locations or elsewhere. So please get in touch if you have examples or ideas to share! [email protected] I'm Jill Cornforth, Grants Manager. I work on The Ideas Fund which connects communities with researchers to work on mental wellbeing projects. I lead on work in two of our focus regions; North West Northern Ireland and Oldham, finding out how we can make the biggest difference to how communities work with researchers there. I work across most parts of the wider fund, helping things run smoothly – often to be found with a spreadsheet or in Salesforce, or learning about new ways to share power in funding through participatory grantmaking. Ask me what we’re learning about doing public engagement with health research differently, or get in touch for a chat about how we can make these relationships work better in Oldham or Derry & Strabane. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Kirsty Neale, Grants Manager. I work on The Ideas Fund which supports communities to work with researchers to try out ideas related to mental wellbeing. As part of this programme, I lead on supporting communities to work with researchers in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and in Hull. My background is in community funding so feel free to ask me about that, alongside learnings from The Ideas Fund - from participatory grant-making to doing public engagement with health research differently. I’d love to hear from you if you have any ideas on how we can make relationships work better in Hull or the Highlands & Islands of Scotland too. (She/her/hers) [email protected]
Education Expand I’m Maria Rossini, Head of Education. I oversee the Education team, and our work with educators, young people, and their parents and guardians. This includes our flagship young people’s CREST Awards scheme and the schools’ resources for British Science Week. I regularly present at events and conferences, as well as contribute to blogs and articles, and am passionate about equity in education. Ask me about strategy, funding our education vision, authentic learning experiences, Science Capital, STEM equity, speaking engagements, or partnership opportunities with CREST or British Science Week. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Caitlin Brown, Education Manager. I work on engaging young people, teachers, and parents with science and promoting our view that science is for everyone, not just the most engaged students. I lead on creating CREST Awards and British Science Week resources, including our fantastic activity packs; I also manage the operations for our CREST websites and platforms, trying to make the user journey as easy as possible. So, if you’ve completed a CREST project or used our British Science Week resources, you’ve probably seen something I’ve worked on! I’m always looking for ways to make our education work more engaging, and to improve our CREST resources and processes, so if you have any ideas, please drop me a line. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Jane Dowden, Education Innovations Manager. My role involves supporting teachers and schools with higher numbers of disadvantaged students or those from backgrounds underrepresented in science, to engage with our programmes. I manage our two main grant programmes for schools, one is for running events during British Science Week and the other is to support teachers to run CREST Awards in their school. I also manage our network of teachers working in schools eligible for our grants which entails running an annual conference, focus groups, training and networking events. I oversee the evaluation of these programmes which helps inform our wider education work and the resources we produce. Ask me about grants for schools during British Science Week and for CREST Awards. Also, get in touch if you’d like to find out more about our work with underrepresented school audiences. [email protected] I'm Estelle Whewell, CREST Product & Partnerships Manager. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Cristine Alcantara, Education Officer. I'm committed to providing a rockstar CREST Awards customer service. I mostly work on supporting stakeholders with their general queries about CREST projects including application, submission, payment, assessment, all the way to certificate delivery. I also enjoy working on collating content for the British Science Week activity packs and organising entries for the annual poster competition. Ask me about the CREST Awards process, missing certificates, British Science Week activity packs or the poster competition. If you have suggestions for how we could improve our CREST Awards process, you are most welcome to let me know. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I’m Dan Robbins, Education and Grants Officer. I work across two of the BSA’s sub-teams – for the Education Team, I support both the Kickstart grants for British Science Week as well as our CREST grants for underrepresented audiences. I also provide support for The Ideas Fund, another of the BSA’s grant programmes, as well as help maintain our Salesforce database system. If you work at a school and have a question about our grants programmes, please do get in touch! (He/him/his)[email protected] I’m Meg Fox, Education Officer. I work to help young people see science as relevant to their own lives. I mostly work with our Communications team, partners, and education specialists to develop our CREST resources and our British Science Week activity packs. I also support with CREST accreditation to ensure our partner resources fit the CREST framework. I’m always looking to improve and expand our resource library, so if you have any suggestions or queries then please do get in touch! (She/her/hers) [email protected]
Senior Management Team Expand I’m Gill Riches, Director of Programmes & Acting Chief Operating Officer. I lead our Education and Community Engagement programmes together with the Ideas Fund, the British Science Festival and UK Science Festivals Network projects. I manage the relationships with some of our key funders and also have some operational responsibilities for the BSA including GDPR, Salesforce, IT and budgeting. I’m interested in exploring new ways of empowering communities and for young people to take the lead in engaging with science, so do get in touch if you’d like to discuss this. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I'm Amy MacLaren, Director of External Relations & Acting Chief Executive. The External Relations Department (comprising Communications and Policy, Partnerships and Impact) focuses on increasing awareness of, and support for, the organisation – our mission, vision and values – and our work amongst key stakeholders, partners and sponsors. We are responsible for the BSA’s brand & reputation and policy & influencing.I am involved in many projects and programmes across the organisation and interested in how all these components can be communicated with and understood by stakeholders as more than the sum of their parts. I am passionate about continuing our learning and progress on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and finding ways to raise up missing voices and engage underrepresented audiences or minoritised groups in our decision-making and external relations activities. I am also the Senior Management Team ‘sponsor’ for our Heritage & Identity review, ethics, sustainability and disability – so if you’re interested in finding out more about these areas, please let me know. (She/her/hers) [email protected] I'm Graeme Copestake, Director of Finance. [email protected]