Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Aderin-Pocock was born in London on 9 March 1968 to Nigerian parents, Caroline Philips and Justus Adebayo Aderin, and was raised in Camden, London.[1][6] Her name, "Ebunoluwa", stems from the Yoruba words, "Ebun" meaning "gift" and Oluwa meaning "God", which is also a variant form of the word "Oluwabunmi" or "Olubunmi", meaning "gift of God" in Yoruba.[7] She attended La Sainte Union Convent School in North London. She has dyslexia and, as a child, when she told a teacher she wanted to be an astronaut, it was suggested she try nursing, "because that's scientific, too".[8] She gained four A-Levels in maths, physics, chemistry, and biology.[8]

She studied at Imperial College London, graduated with a B.Sc in physics in 1990, and completed her Ph.D in mechanical engineering under the supervision of Hugh Spikes in 1994.[9] Her research investigated the development of an ultra-thin film measurement system using spectroscopy and interferometry to the 2.5 nm level.[10] This involved improving the optical performance and the mechanical design of the system, as well as the development of control and image processing software. Other techniques at the time could only operate to the micron level with much poorer resolution. This development work resulted in the instrument being sold by an Imperial College University spin-off company, (PCS Instruments).[11]

Aderin-Pocock has worked on many projects in private industry, academia, and in government. From 1996 to 1999 she worked at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, a branch of the UK Ministry of Defence. Initially, she worked as a systems scientist on aircraft missile warning systems, and from 1997 to 1999 she was a project manager developing hand-held instruments to detect landmines.[1][12] In 1999, Aderin-Pocock returned to Imperial College on a fellowship from the Science and Technology Facilities Council to work with the group developing [13] a high-resolution spectrograph[14] for the Gemini telescope in Chile. The telescope examines and analyses starlight to improve understanding of distant stars.[15][16]

She was the lead scientist at Astrium, where she managed observation instruments on a satellite, measuring wind speeds to help the investigation of climate change.[17] She is working on and managing the observation instruments for the Aeolus satellite, which will measure wind speeds to help the investigation of climate change. She is also a pioneering figure in communicating science to the public, specifically school children, and also runs her own company, Science Innovation Ltd, which engages children and adults all over the world with the wonders of space science.[18]

Aderin-Pocock is committed to inspiring new generations of astronauts, engineers, and scientists and she has spoken to approximately 25,000 children, many of them at inner-city schools, telling them how and why she became a scientist, busting myths about careers, class, and gender.[19] Through this Aderin-Pocock conducts "Tours of the Universe," which she set up to engage children and adults around the world in the wonders of space.[20] She also helps encourage scientific endeavours of young people by being a celebrity judge at the National Science + Engineering Competition. The finals of this competition are held at The Big Bang Fair in March each year to reward young people who have achieved excellence in a science, technology, engineering, or maths project.

Aderin-Pocock was the scientific consultant for the 2009 mini-series Paradox, and also appeared on Doctor Who Confidential.[21] In February 2011 she presented Do We Really Need the Moon? on BBC Two.[22] She also presented In Orbit: How Satellites Rule Our World on BBC Two on 26 March 2012.[23]

Since 2006, Aderin-Pocock has served as a research fellow at UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies, supported by a Science in Society fellowship 2010-2013 funded by Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). She previously held two other fellowships related to science communication, including science and society fellowships 2006–08 Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) and 2008–10 (STFC).[10] Also in 2006, she was one of six "Women of Outstanding Achievement" winners with GetSET Women.

Aderin-Pocock was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to science education.[24] She also was awarded an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University [25] in 2009 for contributions to the field of science education.

In 2014, the pseudonymously-written Ephraim Hardcastle diary column in the Daily Mail claimed that Aderin-Pocock (along with Hiranya Peiris) had been selected to discuss results from the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP-2) experiment on BBC Newsnight because of her gender and ethnicity. The comments were condemned by mainstream media, the Royal Astronomical Society and Aderin-Pocock and Pereis's university, University College London,[26][27][28] and the Daily Mail and its column backed down within days acknowledging that the women were chosen because they are highly qualified in their fields.[26][27]

Aderin-Pocock discussed her life on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in March 2010,[40] and has been the subject of numerous biographical articles on women in science.[8]

She and Dr. Martin Pocock were married in 2002 and have one daughter, Lauren, born in 2010. They live in Guildford, Surrey.[1][41]