Science pioneers

• Dr Jeffrey Neal

  Leverhulme Fellow, School of Geographical Sciences
  "You learn about the gaps in our knowledge and why they cause a problem in the real world – being able to solve those problems and have a genuine impact on society gives you quite a buzz."

• Dr Juliet Biggs

  Reader, School of Earth Sciences
  "Chasing and waiting for a volcano can produce some very good science but it’s not the only science you can do. Satellite technology has to be truly global in helping us to understand the world around us."

• Dr Tamsin Edwards

  Research Collaborator, School of Geographical Sciences
  "I’m thinking about everything on the planet, in its whole history and the near future. I love being a climate scientist and explaining things to people, especially difficult scientific concepts."

• Prof Tim Dokchitser

  Heilbronn Chair in Algebraic/Arithmetic Geometry, School of Mathematics
  "Maths is a language; it’s a little bit like learning Chinese poetry – you can’t do it in five minutes, you have to learn the culture, get a feel for the language, then finally you will be able to appreciate what’s behind it."

• Prof Davide Pisani

  Professor of Phylogenomics, School of Biological Sciences, School of Earth Sciences
  "If I hadn’t become an evolutionary scientist I’d have been a historian; I like reconstructing the past from fragments."

• Dr Nick Teanby

  STFC Advanced Fellow, School of Earth Sciences
  "The discoveries are not always immediate in science. Sometimes you just have to go with the exploration and see where it takes you. If we could predict everything beforehand it would be a lot less fun."

• Prof Carmen Galan

  EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellow, School of Chemistry
  "Chemistry is a bit like cooking; there are recipes you can follow but the most exciting developments often come from trial and error – how else are you going to discover new things unless you explore new possibilities?"

• Dr Zoë Leinhardt

  STFC Advanced Research Fellow, School of Physics
  "I’ve always seen certain parts of physics as not only intriguing but also beautiful, and the same with mathematics. It’s important for me to get across to people not just what I do but the fact that it’s also beautiful."