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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
PROF. TERESA ANDERSON, MBE
Teresa Anderson is Founder and Director of The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement. She has a BSc in Physics, a PhD in Electrical Engineering, and a Master’s degree in Fine Art.
The Centre first opened in 2011 and (pre-COVID) attracted over 150,000 visitors each year, including 25,000 school children, who participate in a curriculum-linked Education programme. The Centre takes innovative approaches to increasing diversity and engaging new audiences with science, including events (such as ‘Girls Night Out’) that create welcoming and non-intimidating spaces for women/girls and others who may feel that STEM ‘isn’t for them’.
In 2016, Teresa, together with Tim O’Brien, co-founded the bluedot festival at Jodrell Bank, which brings together science, music, art and culture to celebrate human creativity and break down the barriers between these sectors. The festival typically attracts 25,000 people to Jodrell Bank over the festival weekend.
Teresa led, together with Tim O’Brien, the ten-year project that resulted in Jodrell Bank being awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2019.
She also led the 8 year long project that resulted in the opening of the £21million ‘First Light Pavilion’ at Jodrell Bank in June 2022.
In 2013 Teresa was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to Astrophysics. In 2014 she was awarded the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal for Public Engagement with Physics and in 2015 she was made Professor in the University of Manchester’s School of Physics and Astronomy.
Teresa Anderson is Founder and Director of The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement. She has a BSc in Physics, a PhD in Electrical Engineering, and a Master’s degree in Fine Art.
The Centre first opened in 2011 and (pre-COVID) attracted over 150,000 visitors each year, including 25,000 school children, who participate in a curriculum-linked Education programme. The Centre takes innovative approaches to increasing diversity and engaging new audiences with science, including events (such as ‘Girls Night Out’) that create welcoming and non-intimidating spaces for women/girls and others who may feel that STEM ‘isn’t for them’.
In 2016, Teresa, together with Tim O’Brien, co-founded the bluedot festival at Jodrell Bank, which brings together science, music, art and culture to celebrate human creativity and break down the barriers between these sectors. The festival typically attracts 25,000 people to Jodrell Bank over the festival weekend.
Teresa led, together with Tim O’Brien, the ten-year project that resulted in Jodrell Bank being awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2019.
She also led the 8 year long project that resulted in the opening of the £21million ‘First Light Pavilion’ at Jodrell Bank in June 2022.
In 2013 Teresa was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to Astrophysics. In 2014 she was awarded the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal for Public Engagement with Physics and in 2015 she was made Professor in the University of Manchester’s School of Physics and Astronomy.
DR CLAIRE MALONE
DR MARGA GUAL SOLER
Dr. Marga Gual Soler is a Senior Science Diplomacy Advisor to the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) and the founder of SciDipGLOBAL, a purpose-driven advisory, strategy, research and training firm helping governments, universities, international organizations and scientific institutions strengthen the role of science in global policy for a renewed multilateralism.
A molecular biologist by training, Dr. Gual Soler has been one of the pioneers in building science diplomacy as a field of research, policy and education worldwide. She supported the science diplomacy strategies of several Latin American countries, Spain and the European Union and promoted scientific cooperation between countries under political strain, notably helping rebuild scientific cooperation between the United States and Cuba following the diplomatic normalization of 2015.
She is most passionate about developing the next generation of science and diplomacy leaders to tackle global challenges. In 2019 she participated in the largest-ever women in STEM expedition to Antarctica to elevate women's leadership in sustainability and climate action, and in 2020 was recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader’ of the World Economic Forum.