Meet the NCCPE team
Find out more about the NCCPE team members and get in touch with us - we'd love to hear from you.
Sophie oversees the work of the centre including communications, partnerships and externally-funded NCCPE projects. She develops and manages key NCCPE programmes to embed engagement into the higher education sector, including the Watermark, and co-edits Research for All. A physicist by training, Sophie has worked in engagement all her career, including at the Science Museum in London; Science Year; and the BBC, where she managed the creation and delivery of national engagement campaigns.
Paul is responsible for the strategic direction of the centre. Originally he trained as a secondary English teacher, then worked for twelve years at the Open University as a producer of TV, radio and multimedia, before joining the BBC as an executive producer of a number of national public engagement campaigns. He advises a number of national organisations on learning and engagement, including the National Trust and the Science Museum.
Katherine is NCCPE’s new Director of Programmes and is responsible for leading and developing the Centre’s portfolio of products and services as well as ensuring the smooth running of the Centre’s operations. Katherine has a background in leading major projects, strategy/policy development and change management gained from working in Whitehall as well as in the HEI sector and private business. Having started her career in marketing, she has always been very customer focussed. Outside of work, Katherine is an award-winning garden designer and is never happier than when she’s outdoors with her two little cockapoos.
Siân coordinates some of NCCPE’s projects. She is dedicated to engagement with research having worked in the field for most of her career. She has direct experience as a practitioner, researcher, funder and capacity builder. She has sat in informal learning teams of the museum sector, central public engagement teams within higher education and as a programme manager for an international portfolio of funding. She brings to her role an interest in participatory and arts-based approaches, a commitment to social justice, and an impatience for change. Her personal time is spent by the sea or in some woods, practicing illustration or tidying up Lego.
Maddy manages the NCCPE’s portfolio of external projects, as well as leading on the Engage Conference. Before coming to the NCCPE, Maddy was at The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres managing the delivery of both national and international projects such as Explore Your Universe and CIMULACT. Maddy also spent five years working with Einstein’s Garden at Green Man Festival to curate experiences inspired by science and nature. In her spare time she can be found at a festival, playing music, or at her pottery class.
Alyssa coordinates projects, focusing on the NERC Researcher Engage Academy. Previously, Alyssa was the Community Engagement Coordinator at the British Science Association where she worked with communities and community leaders to engage with science on their own terms. She has also spent time working on the British Science Festival and For Thought leadership summit. In her spare time, Alyssa can be found working out, cooking a new recipe, or listening to and making podcasts.
Jack is the Team Assistant, providing support to NCCPE’s Assistant Operations Manager. Before joining the NCCPE, Jack studied English, Music and Creative Writing at the University of Southampton. His free time is often spent exploring Bristol, writing fiction, and making lots of noise with too many guitar pedals.
Kailey manages the communications for the NCCPE, providing support to ensure communications delivers against key aims and priorities. Kailey is a strategic communications consultant across the research, health, technology and non-profit sectors. She has a BA in English Literature from Royal Holloway, University of London. She is passionate about inclusion and co-production, and has led on several initiatives to improve how we address and communicate inequalities in health and research.
Lizzie manages the NCCPE’S operations and finances, leading on the delivery of NCCPE services and products such as the Engage Watermark, and the EDGE Tool Survey. Before joining the NCCPE, Lizzie worked in the culture sector, as Development Manager for The Mozartists, and most recently in Bristol City Council’s Culture Team where she supported the council’s cultural funding programmes. Lizzie also spent two years working in communications at the University of Brighton. Outside of work, Lizzie’s time is spent painting and printmaking in her make-shift home studio and seeking out wild swimming spots.
Asphodel provides general assistance and diary management to NCCPE Co-Directors Sophie and Paul, as well as performing any other tasks that crop up. Originally trained as a historian, she worked in various roles in museums both in the US and the UK, including the Seattle Art Museum and Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. In her spare time Asphodel can be found doing yoga, working on multiple writing projects, or desperately trying to improve her Dutch.