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 2023, 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.