23 Facts About Maggie Aderin-Pocock

Dame Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist and science educator.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is an honorary research associate of University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and has been the chancellor of the University of Leicester since 1 March 2023.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is the first black woman to win a gold medal in the Physics News Award and she served as the president of the British Science Association from 2021 to 2022.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock attended La Sainte Union Convent School in North London.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock gained A-Levels in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock studied at Imperial College London, graduated with a BSc in physics in 1990, and completed her PhD in mechanical engineering under the supervision of Hugh Spikes in 1994.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock has worked on many projects in private industry, academia, and government.

In 1999, Maggie Aderin-Pocock returned to Imperial College on a fellowship from the Science and Technology Facilities Council to work with the group developing a high-resolution spectrograph for the Gemini telescope in Chile.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock worked on and managed the observation instruments for the Aeolus satellite, which measured wind speeds to help the investigation of climate change.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a pioneering figure in communicating science to the public, specifically school children.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is committed to inspiring new generations of astronauts, engineers, and scientists.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock has spoken to approximately 25,000 children, many from inner-city schools, explaining how and why she became a scientist, challenging perceptions about careers, class, and gender.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock helps encourage scientific endeavours of young people by being a judge at the National Science + Engineering Competition.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock was the scientific consultant for the 2009 mini-series Paradox, and appeared on Doctor Who Confidential.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock presented In Orbit: How Satellites Rule Our World on BBC Two on 26 March 2012.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock held the Dictionary Corner of the 136th episode of the 2023 series of Countdown.

In 2014, the pseudonymously written Ephraim Hardcastle diary column in the Daily Mail claimed that Maggie Aderin-Pocock had been selected to discuss results from the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 experiment on Newsnight because of her gender and ethnicity.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is an honorary research associate of University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Since December 2021, Maggie Aderin-Pocock has been a question-setter for the Channel 4 game show I Literally Just Told You.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to science education, and was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to science education and diversity.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock was appointed as a vice-president of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2022.

In 2023, Mattel created a Barbie doll of Maggie Aderin-Pocock to celebrate International Women's Day.

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