Louise Gibbons
Outreach Coordinator
Louise is an Outreach Coordinator at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Having graduated with a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, with specific interest in tissue engineering for wound care, and multiple years spent working in outreach programmes across England she decided to make her passion her profession. Starting her career at Kingston University she has gone from STEM outreach intern to officer, delivering sessions covering all aspects of STEM and running The National Saturday Club Science and Engineering. Progressing her career, she has recently joined the outreach at team at NPL, supporting outreach at UK’s National Metrology Institute. Ask Louise about what NPL is, outreach, and the various opportunities at NPL: apprentices, work experience and careers.
Warren Pearson
Software Developer / CTO
Warren is Chief Technology Officer at a London-based data science company, having spent the last 30 years as a software developer. Following a degree in English Literature, he found his first programming job with the Civil Service in Chessington, who trained him from scratch. After 4 years learning how to code there, Warren moved to a telecoms billing consultancy, writing billing software for new, emerging technologies such as mobile phones and the internet. He spent the next 12 years at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, working on a series of internal web applications and client-facing websites before choosing a change of pace and moving to a technology start-up in Silicon Valley in 2012. After returning to London, he co-founded his current company, another start-up, where he continues to write software whenever he is allowed. You can ask him about software development or anything related to a career in technology.
Dr Lisa Brook
Chemical Engineer - Shell
Lisa has worked for Shell for more than 28 years, starting straight after graduating with a Degree in Chemical Process Engineering and Biotechnology. She initially spent 4 years carrying out fundamental research into combustion chemistry, which she used as a basis to gain her PhD. Since then, she has had a wide range of technical and marketing roles, including Technology Manager for Ferrari where she travelled with the F1 race team and was responsible for the development and tracking of the fuel and oil in their race cars.
In her current role, Lisa is the Academic Partnerships Manager for the UK, accountable for fostering, nurturing, and maintaining long-term relationships with highly regarded academia and research institutes in the UK to build mutually beneficial collaborations centered on innovative technologies that have the potential to solve key energy challenges.
Alex Rutter
Technology director Google
Alex has been in Technology for 20 years and is one of the Directors at Google UK responsible for the Retail, Consumer and Travel businesses within their Cloud Technology division, he also serves as one of Google’s Artificial Intelligence ambassadors speaking and advising businesses on the application of the industry’s latest technologies.
Alex holds a number of Non Executive Director positions and
prior to Google he was Vice President at IBM working in roles across both the UK and USA.
Ask him about Cloud, Cyber Security, Ai, Digital Marketing, Business management or any advice on beginning your career journey.
Linden Thomson
Biotechnology Finance AXA investment
Linden studied sciences at school and biology at university. She now works in the City in finance, yet 75% of her job is still science related. She invests money in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies assessing new medical drugs in development and predicting their success. “I still have many people speaking to me in my job who didn’t know science could be applied so successfully in the City. As it happens there are a lot of jobs where science and engineering are greatly valued.
Dr David Murray
Chartered Engineer
David is a Chartered Engineer whose career spans senior roles in major electronics companies, followed by establishing his own company. Currently he is a consultant on future hi-tech electronic equipment.
From an early age he has enjoyed building electronics, computing; radio and weather satellite receivers and similar – most worked! This led to an A-Level entry into a student apprenticeship which gave him practical as well as academic experience.
His career focused on radar, sonar, infra-red and other optics. Projects were used by the Navy and Air Force for surveillance applications.
He widened his academic qualifications by gaining a management diploma, and research Engineering Doctorate (Eng.D. – an engineering-based Ph.D.) focused on using simulation and synthetic environments for challenging technical applications.
David would be pleased to discuss careers in engineering and science, university vs apprenticeships, gap year, large vs small employers and general career planning including application and interview techniques.
Alan Poole
Geologist - Earth sciences
Alan is a Claygate-based geophysicist with 28 years of experience in global hydrocarbon exploration. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Sheffield and a master’s degree from the University of Birmingham. He lived and worked in the USA for nine years, where he developed expertise in using supercomputers and advanced tools to produce high-quality images of the subsurface. These tools are now being applied to store CO2 and harness geothermal energy. Alan is passionate about sharing his knowledge and insights on how geoscientists contribute to various aspects of society, from ensuring structural safety to providing essential materials for modern technology. He is also keen to discuss how geoscientists can play a vital role in the energy transition.
Colin Burke
Mathematical Modeller Lloyds Group
Colin Burke is Head of Model Validation at Lloyds Banking Group.Colin completed a degree and PhD in physics. As a Research Fellow at King’s College, London he researched global lightning activity. He investigated the link between thunderstorms and hurricane formation, the link between lightning and tornado formation and examined lightning and wildfire ignition. His research is particularly relevant to climate change in examining how hurricanes vary with climate change, how global thunderstorm activity changes with climate and how wildfires can also change. In his mid-30s, Colin switched from climatology to enter banking. He developed models of financial markets (e.g. stock markets). Later, Colin switched to model validation: this is the process of testing the models, suggesting improvements and, if the models are of sufficient quality, approving models for use. He leads a team of highly skilled professionals, all of which have higher degrees in mathematics, computer science or physics.
Spyridoula Pappa
Senior Curator of Fossil Mammals NHM & Palaeontologist
Spyridoula Pappa is a Scientists at Natural History Museum (NHM) of London. Following a degree in Geology, a Masters and a PhD in Palaeontology she worked for many years in Greece and was involved on many excavations and participated on cave expeditions. She moved in London in 2010 started volunteering in NHM and soon after worked as an Assistant Curator on one year project. Then, she started her PhD on palaeodietary ecology of Ice Age bears and in 2015 worked again at NHM as the British Ice Age mammals curator. Since, 2023 is the Senior Curator of Fossil Mammal Collections and is responsible for over 350,000 specimens and has been successfully completed many projects, outreach and engagement activities. She has published many papers and awarded an Honorary Research Associate position at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she supervises funded research projects.
Darren Partridge
Veterinary surgeon
Qualified from Bristol as a Veterinary Surgeon and anatomist, Darren has a passion for caring for all animals and strongly believes vets should by definition be independent professionals, not corporate employees subjected to profit as their prime motive. Darren sees all the ‘exotic’ species and have worked in research in marine biology (sharks), arachnology (spiders) in Mongolia and on several palaeontological expeditions. A former aerobatic pilot, motor racer, mountaineer, diver, fellrunner, writer and fitness instructor, he is a 1st Dan blackbelt with the local Abel Karate club and train at CrossFit 2012. He owns four veterinary practices looking after the pets of Molesey, Teddington and Claygate 24 hours a day. Darren has a little border terrier called Archie, two cat brothers Jasper and Flynn and a crested gecko Drift. He has lived in Molesey for twenty years.