I’m a science writer based in Bristol, England. I have written more than fifty books. I write for children (non-fiction explanatory books and experiment books, plus science poetry); and for young adults and adults.
I can speak about any science topic, but the most fun are: water, air pressure, sound, light, electricity, energy, astronomy and space science.
I am happy to travel abroad (in 2022, I presented talks and workshops at a school in Madrid, and in 2019, several schools in the USA).
When I visit schools, I like to do a mixture of readings, talking about science and about being an author, and fun, practical science activities. I am comfortable speaking to small groups, classes, whole year groups or even whole schools! I have a current, clean DBS.
Before becoming a writer, I worked at London’s Science Museum in the Education Unit – and in the museum’s flagship interactive gallery, Launchpad (now called 'Wonderlab'). Before that, I trained as a teacher (secondary science and maths) – and before that, I gained a degree in physics from Imperial College, London.
My recent books include:
’Seeing Science – Making the Invisible Visible’ and ‘The Atom: A Virtual Tour‘, (The MIT Press);
‘The Diary of Curious Cuthbert’ (Explaining Science Publishing);
‘Home Lab’, (called ‘Maker Lab‘ in the USA, published by DK in association with the Smithsonian Institution);
‘The Cell – a Visual Tour of the Building Block of Life‘ (Chicago University Press);
‘The Elements – The New Guide to the Building Blocks of the Universe’ (Carlton Books);
‘Real Lives: John Snow‘, a biography of the Victorian doctor and scientist (Bloomsbury).
In 2024, I will be releasing a series of books of explanatory scientific poetry, called Rhyme and Reason – and I would love to introduce young audiences to this in person.
Jack was an absolute hit with teachers and pupils alike! From his engaging whole school assembly in the morning to his jaw-dropping science demonstrations in the year group workshops, the whole school was buzzing. We loved hearing Jack's science based poetry- perfect for our World Book Day poetry focus. Jack was so warm and friendly- it was a pleasure having him as a visiting author. Thank you Jack!