Who’s taking part: March 2019 – I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here!

I’m a Scientist, Get me out of here! returns this March for two weeks from the 4th to the 15th. Scientists and school students across the country will be taking part in 14 different zones, from Organs and Time, to Drug Discovery and Relationships!

For the latest news and announcements about the event, find us on Twitter @imascientist, and follow the hashtag, #IASUK. Want to take part in our next online event? Sign up here for June 2019.

Let’s meet the scientists and schools taking part…

The Drug Discovery Zone

The Drug Discovery Zone is a themed zone supported by Wellcome.

The Scientists

Fiona Scott | PhD Student, Sussex Drug Discovery Centre

I work in a chemistry lab designing potential new cancer medicines.

Lee Steinberg | PhD Student, University of Southampton

When designing a drug, creators need it to lie in a ‘goldilocks region’ of solubility. Time and money is wasted building drugs that do not live in this region. Its about time we got computers to help with that.

Jennifer Harris | Discovery and Research Policy Executive, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry

I advise Government on how the UK should develop new medicines and treatments for patients.

Paddy Sudhakar | Postdoctoral Researcher, Earlham Institute

I look at how bacteria can be both “buddies” or “baddies” and how different cells and molecules work together to maintain a healthy gut.

Sebastian Cosgrove | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Manchester

I do research on new ways to do chemistry, specifically using naturally occurring catalysts called enzymes.

Eleanor Senior | PhD Student, University of Liverpool

I grow cow parasites in the lab and use computer programmes to look for interesting genes in the parasites.

The Schools

Bluecoat Aspley Academy, Nottingham
Aquinas College, Stockport
Orchards Academy, Swanley
Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form, Norwich
Walton Girls’ High School & Sixth Form, Grantham
St Augustine’s Catholic College, Trowbridge
The Corbet School, Shrewsbury
The Snaith School, Goole
St Mary’s School for Girls, Colchester
St Martin in the Fields High School for Girls, London
Ormiston Park Academy, Aveley

The Imaging Zone

The Imaging Zone is a themed zone supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The Scientists

Dan Porter | Beamline Scientist, Diamond Light Source

I use x-rays to watch electrons perform acrobatics in materials that have never existed before.

Marleen Wilde | PhD Student, University of Reading, School of Pharmacy

I work with a molecule that is a ‘taxi-service’ for specific medicines and want to know how it travels into the cells and if it arrives where it is meant to.

Sonal Bhadane | Global Product Specialist, Elekta Ltd

I help develop the image guided radiation therapy machines for cancer treatment

Matthew Selwood | PhD Student, York Plasma Institute

I am designing a new camera that can see through walls, detect contraband, and even see inside of nuclear explosions!

Atreya Acharyya | PhD Student, Durham University

I help finding out which galaxies we can see with our telescopes.

Rosanna Tilbrook | PhD Student, The University of Leicester

I look at lots of different stars in our galaxy to try and find new planets!

The Schools

Berkshire College of Agriculture, Maidenhead
Silverdale School, Sheffield
All Hallows Catholic High School, Preston
Dartford Science & Technology College, Dartford
All Saints Catholic High School, Knowsley
Walton Girls’ High School & Sixth Form, Grantham
St Gregory the Great Catholic School, Oxford
Hammersmith Academy, London
St Benedict’s Catholic College, Colchester

The Molecule Zone

The Molecule Zone is a a general chemistry zone for secondary schools in Scotland supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The Scientists

Andrew Jamieson | Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow

I design new drugs from toxins to treat pain and work as a senior lecturer in Chemical Biology.

Aryanne Finnie | PhD Student, University of Strathclyde

I’m covering microscopic gold rods with molecules from tea, in order to make them sticky enough for me to attach bacteria-finding particles to diagnose infections quicker!

Sumit Konar | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Edinburgh

I research the science of pressure cooking to make crystal and see through its structure using X-ray and Neutron; I work with explosives like TNT and also with anti cancer drugs.

Bryony Hockin | PhD Student, University of St Andrews

I am making molecules that can use energy from the Sun to split carbon dioxide apart into more useful things that don’t cause global warming!

Sylvia Soldatou | Research Scientist, University of Aberdeen

I focus on the discovery of new antibiotics from the marine environment, such as the deep-sea and the Red Sea

Kate McGonagle | Medicinal Chemist, Dundee Drug Discovery Unit

I slog it out in the lab to try and make drugs that kill pesky parasites!

Martin McCoustra | Professor of Chemical Physics, Heriot-Watt University

I want to know how chemistry controls the cosmos.

The Schools

Lasswade High School Centre, Midlothian
Auchinleck Academy, East Ayrshire
Arbroath High School, Angus
St Joseph’s College, Dumfries & Galloway
Vale Of Leven Academy, West Dunbartonshire
Smithycroft Secondary School, Glasgow City
Kirkcudbright Academy, Dumfries & Galloway
Levenmouth Academy, Fife
Tain Royal Academy, Highland
Mallaig High School, Highland

The Nuclear Zone

The Nuclear Zone is a themed zone supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The Scientists

Meirin Oan Evans | PhD Student, University of Sussex & CERN

I study the tiniest particles in the universe with the biggest science experiment in the world.

Sarah O’Sullivan | PhD Student, University of Sheffield

I make new uranium compounds to understand what happens when nuclear reactors go wrong

George Fulton | Materials Scientist, UK Atomic Energy Authority

I design and test materials that have to survive the hottest temperature in the solar system.

Emily Lewis | Scientific Computing Graduate, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

I make computer models to test new nuclear reactor designs for the future!

Andy Buckley | Lecturer, University of Glasgow & CERN

Studying subatomic particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.

Sophia Pells | PhD Student, University of Manchester

I look for ways to make radioactive atoms and use them to kill cancer and take pictures of tumours.

The Schools

Prince Henry’s High School, Evesham
Wyvern Academy, Darlington
Howard of Effingham School, Leatherhead
Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School, Lancaster
Dartford Science & Technology College, Dartford
John Flamsteed Community School, Ripley
King James’s School, Knaresborough
Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, London
Reepham High School and College, Norwich
Bohunt School, Liphook
Hampton Court House, East Molesey

The Organs Zone

The Organs Zone is a themed zone for primary schools supported by Wellcome.

The Scientists

Rebecca Gosling | PhD Student, University of Sheffield

I make 3D models of the arteries in the heart and use them to treat patients virtually.

Gareth Nye | Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Manchester

I look at how the placentas transfer nutrients and gasses from the mum to the baby during pregnancy and investigate ways of improving the placenta function when it’s not working as well as it should.

Hanna Jeffery | Clinical Scientist, The Royal Gwent Hospital

When people are having trouble with their ears, I test them in all sorts of ways to find out what is wrong, including making them feel dizzy (and occasionally sick).

Marie Cameron | Lecturer in Nursing, University of the Highlands and Islands

I teach University healthcare students about how the body works, what happens when things go wrong, and what we can do to help make things better.

Matthew Smith | Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine

I’m trying to understand the mechanisms that control the formation of pancreatic cancer.

Raashid Ali | Senior Critical Care Scientist, NHS Manchester University Hospitals

Not your standard scientist, I work hands on with patients to support their organs, using machines important to help keep the very sick hospital patients alive!

The Schools

Irchester Community Primary School, Wellingborough
Beech Hill Community Primary School, Wigan
Hodthorpe Primary School, Worksop
Halyrude Primary School, Peebles
Lark Rise Academy, Dunstable
Greenhill Primary School, Leeds
Emmanuel Middle Church of England Voluntary Aided School, Verwood
St Mary’s Primary School, Magherafelt
Aith Junior High School, Shetland Islands
The Sibsey Free Primary School, Boston
St Bridget’s Primary School & Nursery Class, Glasgow City
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Morecambe
Arboretum Primary School, Derby

The Perception Zone

The Perception Zone is a psychology zone for sixth form students supported by the British Psychological Society.

The Psychologists

Jane Aspell | Senior Lecturer, Anglia Ruskin University

I study how the brain creates ‘me’ and how this relates to my feeling of having a body.

Tirso Gonzalez Alam | PhD Student, York Neuroimaging Centre and Department of Psychology

I look at images of the brain in action and try to figure out how our brain understands the meaning of life, the universe and everything: from what getting a bad mark at school means to knowing that a lit selfie is not literally on fire.

Matthew Longo | Professor, Birkbeck, University of London

I’m a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience interested in the mental representation of our body and how this shapes perception.

Vassilis Sideropoulos | Technician, London South Bank University

I’m a technician in a psychology laboratory.

Alexandra Quigley | NHS Psychologist, Guy’s Hospital, Rheumatology and Pain

I use my amazing science skills and knowledge about minds and bodies to bust myths about pain, and help people living with pain and health problems to live full and exciting lives!

Dawn Rose | Senior Research Associate, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

I try to figure out who can feel the beat, and who can’t, and how we can use that to help people move to their own groove.

The Schools

Dame Alice Owen’s School, Potters Bar
Freman College, Buntingford
Wigan and Leigh College, Wigan
The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College, Wigan
South Wilts Grammar School for Girls, Salisbury
Bournemouth School, Bournemouth
Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School, Reading
Queen Mary’s High School, Walsall
Cleeve School, Cheltenham
Hylands School, Chelmsford

The Relationships Zone

The Relationships Zone is a psychology zone supported by the British Psychological Society.

The Psychologists

Louise Rodgers | Industry and private sector, Applied Psychologies

I try to understand the mental life of children and young people well enough to help them be happy and successful at school.

Lucy Maddox | British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

I use talking therapies and psychology ideas to help people with mental health problems and other difficulties.

David Chadwick | Professor of Information Systems Security, University of Kent

How do you know who you are really talking to over the Internet, via Facebook or other social media?

Sally Tilt | Prison Psychologist, HM Prison and Probation Service

I explore why people have committed a crime, usually with the help of the person who committed it, and then find ways for them to make a better life.

James Munro | Psychology Technician, Edinburgh Napier University

I use magnets to find out if our brains all speak the same language.

Dan Taylor | PhD Student, University of Sunderland

I am a psychologist studying romantic relationships and researching alternative sexualities.

The Schools

Dover Grammar School for Girls, Dover
Wymondham High Academy, Wymondham
Park Hall Academy, Birmingham
Furness Academy, Barrow-in-Furness
Newbattle High School, Midlothian
Colne Community School and College, Colchester
Bay House School, Gosport
Wollaston School, Wellingborough
Salford City Academy, Manchester

The Time Zone

The Time Zone is a themed zone supported by Institute of Physics.

The Scientists

Hamid Ohadi | Lecturer and Researcher, University of St Andrews

I play with quantum liquids of light to make the internet go faster one day.

Zoe Wimshurst | Senior Lecturer, AECC University College

I help sports people see faster and more accurately so they have more time to make better decisions and be better at their sport!

Kai Guo | PhD Student, the University of Nottingham

I play with electronics to find where I am using satellites that fly 20,000 km above our heads.

Hannah Collingwood | Engineer, National Physical Laboratory

I’m a physics graduate with interests in astronomy and programming, currently working as an engineer.

Claire Greenwell | PhD Student, University of Southampton.

I search for the hidden black holes at the centres of galaxies.

Jose Eliel Camargo Molina | Theoretical Physicist, Imperial College

I work on testing new particle theories by checking whether they predict that our universe would have collapsed.

The Schools

Francis Holland School, London
Sir John Thursby Community College, Burnley
Newbattle High School, Midlothian
Sheringham High School, Sheringham
The Victory Academy, Kent
The Deanery Church of England High School and Sixth Form College, Wigan
King Edward VI School, Southampton
Darrick Wood School, Orpington
St Andrew’s High School, North Lanarkshire
Smith’s Wood Academy, Birmingham

The Water Zone

The Water Zone is a themed zone supported by Wellcome.

The Scientists

Silvia Imberti | Instrument Scientist, The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

I have a giant microscope and look at where atoms and molecules are.

Lowri Evans | Postdoctoral Ecologist, Bangor University

I’m developing an app to help decide whether a fishery is sustainable or not based on how long animals live for and how often a habitat is fished.

Scott Graham | Microbiologist, Scottish Water

I test water samples from taps, swimming pools, rivers and lochs to make sure they are safe from harmful bacteria.

Natalie Lamb | PhD Student, The University of Sheffield and Anglian Water

I am researching how to produce good quality drinking water without adding any chemicals to treat it.

Oliver Andrews | Lecturer, University of Bristol

I work on understanding how the chemistry and biology of our oceans are changing due to climate change.

Michelle Valkanas | PhD Student, Duquesne University

I use bacteria to clean up disgusting water!

William Rust | Hydrologist and Researcher, Cranfield University

I work to understand how big storms change water kept in the ground.

The Schools

St Dominic’s High School, Belfast
Fitzharrys School, Abingdon
The Victory Academy, Kent
High Storrs School, Sheffield
Dinglewell Junior School, Gloucester
Pitteuchar East Primary School, Fife
Gable Hall School, Stanford-le-Hope
Chatham Grammar School for Girls, Chatham

The Nobelium Zone

The Nobelium Zone is a general zone supported by Wellcome.

The Scientists

David Sünderhauf | PhD Student, University of Exeter

I’m finding a way to keep antibiotics working by removing bad DNA from bacteria.

Rosemary Josekutty Thomas | PhD Computer Scientist, University of Aberdeen

Building a system to create messages that would motivate people to make positive changes in their behaviour.

Jordan Kirby | Teaching and Research Technician, University of Reading

I work with lots of different disease causing organisms and change how they work!

Leigh Kesler | Postdoctoral Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

I study the effects of radiation on high temperature superconductors, an exciting new material that can be used to build fusion reactors.

Oliver Gordon | PhD Researcher, University of Nottingham

I teach computers how to “think” like people, which helps us build shapes with atoms 10 million times smaller than a millimetre!

Hannah Dennett | Principal Air Quality Consultant, Arcadis

I investigate, model and monitor the air that we breathe, and predict what it will be like in the future!

The Schools

Overton Grange School, Sutton
Caerleon Comprehensive School, Newport
St John Wall Catholic School, Birmingham
The Victory Academy, Kent
The Arnewood School Academy, New Milton
Churnet View Middle School, Leek
Swindon Academy, Swindon
The Billericay School, Billericay

The Lawrencium Zone

The Lawrencium Zone is a general zone supported by Wellcome.

The Scientists

Alexander Allen | PhD Student, University of Nottingham

I work with single atoms and molecules, working to understand how they behave and looking to see whether we can assemble them to build anything we like at the nano-scale.

Srinath Kasturirangan | Principal Scientist, Boehringer Ingelheim USA

My research involves using our own immune system to fight cancer.

Natasha Dowey | Lead Geoscientist, Halliburton Landmark

In my job as a geologist I learn about how the Earth has changed over millions of years; how the continents have moved, how volcanoes have made their mark, and how and where rocks that give us energy were made!

Marialuisa Crosatti | Research Technician, University of Leicester

I use a worm and an amoeba to understand how bacteria found around us may develop the ability to kill us.

Gautam Kambhampati | PhD Student, Imperial College London

I’m trying to see if we can use individual molecules to build a special type of computer, called a quantum computer.

Nana Odom | Healthcare Scientist, Royal united hospital

I buy, test, maintain, fix medical equipment and also ensure the equipment is safe before being used on patients and by those who work with the patients.

The Schools

The Charles Dickens School, Broadstairs
Harwich and Dovercourt High School, Harwich
Ferndown Middle School, Ferndown
Outwood Academy Shafton, Barnsley
Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester
The John Henry Newman Catholic School, Stevenage
Brayton Academy, Selby
Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form Centre, Dunmow
Walker Riverside Academy, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Franklin College, Grimsby
St Cuthbert Mayne School, Torquay

The Rutherfordium Zone

The Rutherfordium Zone is a general physics zone for primary schools supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The Scientists

Kathryn Boast | Outreach Officer, University of Oxford

I create science shows, videos, books, interactive art and more to explore and explain the work of “quantum materials” researchers, who grow and study crystals with amazing properties.

Jose Martinez-Gonzalez | Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

My job is to see how water interacts with different materials, using a neutron generator.

Gabriel Gallardo | DPhil Student, University of Oxford

Using the largest machine on earth, I try to study the smallest things known to man: the fundamental particles which make up our universe.

Affelia Wibisono | PhD Student, Mullard Space Science Laboratory

I am investigating Jupiter’s X-ray northern and southern lights to help find habitable alien worlds.

Adelie Gorce | PhD Student, Imperial College London

I study the time when the first stars were born and how they influenced the evolution of the Universe.

Russell Arnott | PhD Student, University of Bath

I want to find out how the shape of plankton affects how they behave in the sea. I’ve recently come back from working in the Weddell Sea (nr Antarctica) with the British Antarctic Survey.

The Schools

Irchester Community Primary School, Wellingborough
Mandeville Primary School, St Albans
Friskney All Saints Church of England (Aided) Primary School, Boston
Broughton Central P School, By Biggar
Allerton CofE Primary School, Leeds
Furzedown Primary School, London
Uxendon Manor Primary School, Harrow
Lark Rise Academy, Dunstable

The Dubnium Zone

The Dubnium Zone is a general zone supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The Scientists

Tori Blakeman | Impact and Engagement Officer, STFC

Using social media and written text, I tell stories about all of the fantastic science and innovation happening at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Titus Mutwiri | PhD Student, International Livestock Research Institute

I look for organisms that cause diseases in humans and animals and study them so as to get a solution to the problems they cause in living beings.

Stuart Higgins | Research Associate in Innovative Materials, Imperial College London

I make tiny beds of nails which can be used to inject medicines into individual cells.

Hannah Dalgleish | PhD Student, Astrophysics Research Institute

I look at hundreds of stars that huddle tightly together and figure out how they move in order to understand their history!

Gill Harrison | Radiographer and Lecturer, City University of London

I am a radiographer who specialises in ultrasound scanning and run the ultrasound course at City, University of London.

Alessandro Novellino | Remote Sensing Geoscientist, British Geological Survey

My work involves studying ground motion from space!

The Schools

The James Hornsby School, Basildon
Silverdale School, Sheffield
Somervale School Specialist Media Arts College, Radstock
Simon Balle All-Through School, Hertford
Gordano School, Bristol
Ryburn Valley High School, Sowerby Bridge
Allerton High School, Leeds
Summerhill School, Kingswinford
Robert May’s School, Hook
Queen Elizabeth School

The Seaborgium Zone

The Seaborgium Zone is a general zone supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The Scientists

Verity Fryer | NHS Molecular Genetics Department, Exeter, Devon

I use computers to search through billions of letters of DNA to find causes for diseases.

Sergio Adan Bermudez | PhD Student, University of Edinburgh

I use lasers and nanotechnology to fight cancer!

Nick Werren | PhD Student, University of Surrey

I research the incredibly weird physics that goes on inside plants, revealing the genius of nature and the potential for new technologies.

Maria Walach | Researcher, Lancaster University

I try to work out which way the highest parts of the Earth’s atmosphere move in response to things happening in space.

David Whitworth | PhD Student, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics

I am trying to simulate the evolution of dwarf galaxies to see how stars form.

Annette Raffan | Research Technician, University of Aberdeen

I help other scientists squash and prod mud pies with plants growing in them to see what happens!

The Schools

Tupton Hall School, Chesterfield
Stirling High School, Stirling
Freman College, Buntingford
Beverley High School, Beverley
Ribblesdale High School, Clitheroe
Ethos College, Huddersfield
Meridian School, Royston
The Elton High School, Bury
Hammersmith Academy, London