Maggie Aderin-Pocock Biography
A British space scientist and science educator, Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock MBE (née Aderin; born 9 March 1968) holds the MBE. She has served as the chancellor of the University of Leicester since February 2023 and is an honorary research associate of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. She and Chris Lintott have co-hosted the venerable astronomy television program The Sky at Night since February 2014. She received the Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal, and Prize in 2020 for her dedication to physics in the public eye. She is the first black woman to receive the Physics News Award’s gold prize, and from 2021 to 2022, she presided over the British Science Association.
| Name | Maggie Aderin Pocock |
| Birthday | March 9, 1968 |
| Age | 52 years |
| Gender | Female |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Nigerian |
| Profession | Space Scientist |
| Married/Single | Married |
| Husband | Marin Pocock |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Emperial College London |
| Maggie Aderin Pocock |
Maggie Aderin-Pocock Early life and education
Caroline Philips and Justus Adebayo Aderin, two Nigerians, gave birth to Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin in London on March 9, 1968. She was raised in Camden, London. Her middle name, Ebunoluwa, is a version of the Yoruba words “Oluwabunmi” or “Olubunmi,” which both mean “gift of God.” In Yoruba, “ebun” means “gift” and “Oluwa” means “God.” She was a student at North London’s La Sainte Union Convent School. She has dyslexia. When she told a teacher she wanted to be an astronaut when she was younger, the teacher advised she try nursing since “that’s also scientific.” She earned A-Levels in biology, chemistry, physics, and arithmetic.
She attended Imperial College London, where she earned a BSc in physics in 1990 and a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1994 under Hugh Spikes’ guidance. Her study looked into the creation of a 2.5 nm-level ultra-thin film measurement device employing spectroscopy and interferometry. This required developing software for control and image processing, as well as enhancing the optical performance and mechanical construction of the system. Other methods at the time could only function with far worse resolution down to the micron level. This development work led to the instrument being commercialized by PCS Instruments, a spin-off firm from Imperial College University.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock Net Worth
The approximate value of Maggie Aderin-Pocock’s net worth is £3 million.
Her career as a science communicator, presenter, and engineer has contributed to her wealth.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock Career and research
Aderin-Pocock has contributed to numerous initiatives in government, academia, and business. She was employed with the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency from 1996 until 1999. She worked first as a systems scientist on aviation missile warning systems, and between 1997 and 1999, she managed a project that created portable devices for landmine detection. On a fellowship from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Aderin-Pocock returned to Imperial College in 1999 to collaborate with the team creating a high-resolution spectrograph for the Gemini telescope in Chile. Studies of stellar populations, the interstellar medium, and some physical events in stars with modest masses were made possible by the instrument’s great spectral resolution.
She is working on and overseeing the Aeolus satellite’s observational tools, which will measure wind speeds to aid in the study of climate change. She was a trailblazer in educating the public about science, especially young people in the classroom. Through its “Tours of the Universe” program, her company, Science Innovation Ltd, educates both adults and children about the science of space.
Aderin-Pocock is dedicated to fostering the next wave of scientists, engineers, and astronauts. She has spoken to nearly 25,000 kids, many of whom attend inner-city schools, about how and why she became a scientist and how to challenge stereotypes about professions, class, and gender. She supports young people’s scientific pursuits by serving as a judge for the National Science + Engineering Competition. The Big Bang Fair hosts the competition’s finals each year in March, where young people who have excelled in a project involving science, technology, engineering, or mathematics are recognized.
Aderin-Pocock also had an appearance in Doctor Who Confidential. She served as the scientific advisor for the 2009 miniseries Paradox. She presented Do We Really Need the Moon? on BBC Two in February 2011. On March 26, 2012, she gave a BBC Two presentation titled “In Orbit: How Satellites Rule Our World.”
Aderin-Pocock has presented Stargazing on CBeebies with Chris Jarvis and Out of This World on CBBC with her daughter Lauren in addition to presenting The Sky at Night with Chris Lintott. She has additionally been on QI, Would I Lie to You?, Go 8 Bit with Dara O’Brien, and Richard Osman’s House of Games.
A Science in Society fellowship 2010–2013 sponsored by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has allowed Aderin-Pocock to work as a research fellow at the UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies since 2006. She had previously received two other fellowships in the field of scientific communication, including the STFC and PPARC fellowships in science and society from 2008 to 2010. She was one of GetSET Women’s six “Women of Outstanding Achievement” award recipients in 2006.
Aderin-Pocock (along with Hiranya Peiris) were chosen to discuss findings from the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization 2 (BICEP-2) experiment on Newsnight because of their gender and ethnicity, according to the pseudonymously written Ephraim Hardcastle diary column in the Daily Mail from 2014. The Royal Astronomical Society, as well as University College London, the alma mater of Aderin-Pocock and Pereis, denounced the remarks. Within days, The Daily Mail reversed this assertion, admitting that the women were selected due to their high levels of expertise in their respective disciplines.
She is an honorary research associate of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London.
She served as a commissioner for the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) of the UK government in the years 2020–21. The controversial report from the commission stated that “the claim that the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence,” but experts argued that the report distorted the available data and disregarded suggestions from business executives. Aderin-Pocock claimed that the study “was not denying institutional racism existed, but said the commission had not discovered evidence of it in the areas it had looked” after it was released.
Aderin-Pocock has been a question-setter for the Channel 4 game program I Literally Just Told You since December 2021.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock Personal life
Aderin-Pocock was the topic of a number of biographical essays on women in science and spoke about her life on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs in March 2010.
In 2002, she was hitched to Martin Pocock. They reside in Guildford, Surrey, and have one daughter, Lauren, who was born in 2010.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock Facts
Maggie Aderin Pocock, a British space scientist and science educator, was born on March 9, 1968. She was born in the British city of Islington.
The space scientist is about 52 years old as of right today. Every year on March 9, she has a birthday celebration. She is a Pisces by horoscope.
She also currently has a well-written Wikipedia biography. On other websites, his biography is also available.
Moving on, Maggie loves her family. Martin, her longtime partner, is her husband. In 2002, the couple got married to one another. Additionally, they have a child whose name is still being debated.
She was born in the United Kingdom, thus she also has British nationality. Additionally, she is of Black ethnicity.
She’s from Nigeria.
She also doesn’t spend much time online. She doesn’t use Twitter or Instagram, for example. Her Facebook profile, meanwhile, only has about 2,000 likes.
She was conceived by Caroline Philips and Justus Aderin, to talk about her parents. Her parents immigrated to the UK as immigrants from Nigeria.
She also earned a degree in physics from Imperial College London. She then worked with Hugh Spikes to complete her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.
She is also well known for hosting the television program The Sky at Night, which explores astronomy. Chris Lintott served as her co-worker and partner.
She also receives an MBE from the British empire for her tireless efforts. It is well known that she had a difficult upbringing. Her talk with “The Guardian” was among the most heartfelt success tales.
Where did Maggie Aderin-Pocock grow up?
Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist who also teaches and communicates science. She was born in London, England, on March 9, 1968, and raised in Twickenham.
How did Maggie Aderin-Pocock become a scientist?
Space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock also serves as a scientific communicator and hosts the BBC program The Sky at Night. After earning her undergraduate degree in Physics at Imperial, she went on to earn her PhD in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1994.
What is Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock known for?
Award-winning author, presenter, and space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE has collaborated with numerous educational institutions to encourage the study of STEM disciplines. She graduated from Imperial College with a degree in physics and a PhD in mechanical engineering.
Who is Maggie Aderin-Pocock’s husband?
More than 35,000 students have received “Tours of the Universe” from Maggie throughout the years, in which she uses cutting-edge celestial flyover projections to simulate space travel. After founding her company, Science Innovation Ltd (SIL), with her husband, Dr. Martin Pocock, she began giving the talks.
How many schools did Maggie Aderin Pocock go to?
Maggie, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight, attended 13 different schools before turning 18 years old. “It didn’t agree with me,” Maggie says to a group of teenagers at the Royal Institute’s Unconference.
