I have been nominated, and elected, as a Fellow for the Learned Society of Wales in recognition of my contributions to science communication and influence in STEM in Wales. I never thought I would be referred to as a Fellow. To be nominated, let alone awarded a Fellowship with the Learned Society of Wales, is such a tremendous honour. My career, and how I have always fit into STEM, has never been considered straightforward. My career in STEM falls outside of the traditional trajectory you would expect in the industry. I didn’t follow the natural progression from undergraduate to postgraduate ..read more

  We are living in troubling times. Every aspect of life has gotten harder in the UK, with pre-existing societal conditions being amplified by the pandemic. Businesses are struggling, we have fewer pounds in our pockets – and chronic underfunding of some of the most cherished aspects of our everyday life has meant the collapse of healthcare, public services and community facilities. Third spaces – the places where people spend time between home (our first space) and work (our second space) – have been systematically stripped from public access over the past decade. Third spaces, such as ..read more

Behind the scenes of a museum is a mystery to most. Brittney Elizabeth Stoneburg, Collections Manager at the Western Science Centre in California, takes us into the meticulous world of museum collection – from discovering mammoths in construction sites to 3D models uncovering new species. Listen here or or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ..read more

My passion for addressing obvious societal problems, and my undeniable lack of filter, led me to speak out on something a little different from my usual science communication and diversity in science themes. The cost of living crisis is a looming cloud of despair over everyone’s lives at the moment, touching every aspect of our existence. As someone who is single and lives solo, this cost of living crisis is landing squarely on my shoulders, with no one else to share the burden with. As part of my work for BBC Wales Live I presented a special about the cost of living crisis, specifically focu ..read more

In 2020, sat in my living room, dressed nicely but pyjamas bottoms strictly out of shot, I participated in the Wales STEM Awards via Zoom. Long sessions of interviews and judging inspirational Welsh individuals and companies that are making a difference in STEM industries and education. This culminated in a fantastic virtual awards show – again, featuring the lockdown uniform of nice top and stretchy, comfortable bottoms. This year – sans elasticated waistband – I had the pleasure of not only judging the Wales STEM Awards again, but also attending the awards show in person. The competition wa ..read more

Since March 2020, the world has collectively experienced a great deal. From the overarching threat of a deadly virus to the loss and separation of loved ones and the constant feeling of uncertainty. The Covid-19 pandemic has inarguably had a huge impact on human health, but this extends beyond infection, the death toll and long covid. Many, including those who haven’t experienced covid infections, are experiencing fatigue, memory loss, brain fog and are struggling to concentrate – this is a phenomenon known as pandemic brain.  I covered this neurological impact of the pandemic in a ..read more

  It’s during unprecedented times like this, we need experts. During the pandemic there was an evident wave of defiance against the severity of the situation. People engaged with conspiracy theories around the risk of Covid, microchips in vaccines and 5G. The deaths of millions of people weren’t evidence enough that Covid represented a real risk to each of our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Throughout the pandemic we have even seen government reject the advice and guidance of scientists who have been preparing for the next pandemic for over a decade. The ..read more

LISTEN NOW With the breaking news that the UK will be rolling out Covid-19 vaccines before the New Year, the global effort for solving this global pandemic comes into questions. We are at risk of wealthier countries hoarding the vaccines and gatekeeping them from other countries. Dr Farah joins us to explore how we can combat vaccine nationalism and the importance of a world-wide collaborative approach to inoculations ..read more

LISTEN NOW When deployed to the ebola outbreak, Dr Janet Scott worked with patients experiencing long-term health problems after recovering from the virus. In the current global pandemic, we are also seeing many people suffering from a multitude of issues after recovering from coronavirus – known as Long Covid. Dr Janet Scott has been working to investigate what long term issues people may face, even if they recover from Covid-19, and joins us in this episode of Inside the Petri Dish to talk about how we prepare for pandemics and what symptoms people could face after covid ..read more

A ..read more