staff
Fiona Fox
Chief Executive
Fiona Fox has a degree in journalism and many years of experience in working in media relations for high profile national organisations. Her career includes stints working for the Equal Opportunities Committee, National Council for One Parent Families, and CAFOD (a leading aid agency), before her current role as Chief Executive of the Science Media Centre which opened in April 2002. Other than her dedication to the SMC, Fiona was chair of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Working Group that published a report on the future of science in the media in January 2010 as part of the UK’s Science and Society strategy. She was also called to give oral evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into press standards in the UK in 2012, and writes regularly on science in the media.
Helen Jamison
Deputy Director
Helen joined the SMC in 2007 as Engineering Press Officer, and was subsequently made Senior Press Officer in 2008 and Deputy Director in 2011. She is on the committee of Stempra, a UK network of science communication professionals, and has worked in the press office of the journal Nature. Helen is a scientist by training, with a biomedical science degree from the University of Sheffield and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Oxford.
Tom Sheldon
Senior Press Officer
Tom joined the SMC in April 2008 and handles any issues in the fields of engineering, energy and the environment that hit the headlines. He has degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics. He volunteered with the charity Sense About Science in summer 2007, contributing to their expose of pseudoscience and blogging for the Guardian along the way.
Edward Sykes
Head of Mental Health & Neuroscience
Ed’s role is ring-fenced to cover mental health and neuroscience topics at the SMC. Previously he led on issues like the swine flu pandemic for which he gave evidence to the Hine review, and he spent 15 months as Media Manager at the Australian SMC. In Ed’s other life he did a PhD in Evolutionary Biology and appeared in the national media to talk on his field, a habit he has continued in regard to the media’s handling of scientific issues.
Fiona Lethbridge
Press Officer
Fiona spent eight months as the SMC’s Press Office Assistant, quickly progressing to Press Officer in early 2013. She gained a PhD in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh, where she edited the BioPOD podcast, and was a member of the university’s ‘Press Gang’. Fiona also had a long-standing music show on Edinburgh’s student radio station, and dabbled in stand-up comedy with Bright Club.
Selina Hawkins
Office and Finance Manager
Selina joined the SMC in August 2009, where she is responsible for the day-to-day logistics of running the office, co-ordinating the fundraising efforts and finances, and dealing with anything else that comes up. Graduating from the University of Cambridge in 2005 with degrees in Natural Sciences, Selina spent a year teaching English in China, before returning to Cambridge to work for several Cambridge colleges and then the University’s Community Affairs Office.
Robin Bisson
Science Information Officer
Robin volunteered at the SMC in 2011 before starting full time as in early 2012. He maintains the website and expert database, writes Factsheets on breaking stories, produces Briefing Notes, and manages the volunteer programme. Robin followed up a degree in Mathematics with a master’s in Philosophy and History of Science at the University of Bristol. He cut his teeth working for the British Science Festival and with the BBC’s Horizon.
Joanne Thomas
Events Assistant
Jo joined the SMC in April 2012 and is responsible for the running of the Introduction to the News Media events for scientists.
She has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford and will be following this with an MSc in Science Communication starting in September. Jo has previously volunteered at the At-Bristol Science Centre and interned at the Science Museum.