Annie completed her PhD in the biology of pancreatic cancer initiation at the University of Cambridge, where she started to explore science communication and public engagement. After taking part in science festivals, making Youtube videos and running a programme of science art workshops in local schools alongside work in the lab, she decided to switch to public engagement full-time.

She joined Sense about Science in 2022, and leads on involving as many people and community groups as possible and ensuring their ethos of public led, expert fed is at the core of all of their work.

Heather Doran is the Public Engagement Manager at the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee.

She is a member of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) committee and the Local Organising Committee for the PCST Conference 2025. In 2015/2016 she was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Fellowship on the communication of science travelling to the USA, Japan and China to explore how major research institutes and individual researchers help foster online engagement through social media. 

Heather began her involvement in public engagement during her PhD in molecular pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen when she was Editor and co-founder of Au Science Magazine.

Nikolaus initially got into science communication through working as a Science Champion Ambassador, alongside volunteering with a local STEM group, while studying for a Biochemistry degree at the University of Sheffield.

After graduating, Nikolaus worked at Newcastle's Centre for Life, getting to grips with a range of science communication presentation skills. This ranged from teaching preschoolers about palaeontology to teaching trainee nurses about anatomy through basic dissection workshops, all while having a lot of fun!

Nikolaus then had a year organising Cheltenham Science Festival's hands-on interactive Discovery Zone, learning about how to run a public science festival.

Before Nikolaus's current role, he spent 5 years as an Education Outreach Manager for the UK's nuclear fusion research institute, UKAEA, where he had the challenge of being a science communicator with a life science background, but applying skills to a completely unfamiliar field - but one that is crucial to developing new energy technologies to mitigate and combat the effects of climate change.

Nikolaus joined Cancer Research UK last year, where he now works across their funded institutes in London to help the charity raise more donations by bringing our fundraisers and donors closer to inspiring science experiences.

Maria has worked in education, communication and engagement for the last 15 + years and have a wealth of experience working across the sector for organisations such as the Science Museum, Science Learning Centres/STEM learning, British Science Association and the BBC. She actually kick-started her science communication career by winning a science writing competition- so she's very excited to read the shortlisted entries!

Dr Güneş Taylor is a postdoctoral research scientist at The Francis Crick Institute. As a molecular biologist she uses many cutting-edge technologies to understand how reproductive systems are built. She is in the process of establishing her own independent research program, unravelling details of ovarian function, with the ultimate hope of developing solutions for women’s health and fertility. 

Güneş is a highly experienced public speaker, regularly appearing at public venues discussing future technologies and sex differences with household names. Over the last ten years, she has been interviewed for numerous articles and podcasts and judged many science communication competitions.