Having grown up wanting to be a palaeontologist, an F1 engineer and a theatre set designer, I decided to study the world around us, graduating with a Masters in Geology from the University of Southampton in 2004. I then joined the Environment Agency, working first in hydrometry and telemetry and then in flood risk management. In 2008, I joined the Met Office’s Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services, working to bring bespoke interpretation and analysis of climate science to a range of customers. With particular experience in the transport, health and local government sectors, I helped organisations identify the threats and opportunities climate change could bring both in the UK and around the world, providing the confidence to make appropriate adaptation decisions. On joining the Met Office, I became a STEM Ambassador to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to young people. To help this, I gained a Masters in Science Communication at the University of the West of England in 2011.Today, I sit on the Senior Leadership Team of our People Development function. Alongside my management and leadership responsibilities within my team and the wider organisation, I lead the Met Office’s award-winning outreach programme. We want to inspire, inform and engage young people in weather and climate, highlight the real-world applications of STEM subjects and help them make informed decisions about their future. I enjoy bringing the STEM subjects to life and we deliver a wide range of creative and exciting outreach activities for young people – from our flagship Science Camps, to sand sculpture workshops to school talks and music festivals. I am also responsible for overseeing our external training provision for a range of organisations, including MoD, voluntary organisations, other meteorological services around the world and a number of industry customers. Our aim is to help individuals and organisations stay safe and thrive, having grown their knowledge and understanding of weather and climate.I was a director of Kaleider, an Exeter-based arts organisation Kaleider (kaleider.com) between 2013-2019 and I am now a trustee of Citizens Advice East Devon.
