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I am a British freelance writer currently based in Vancouver, Canada.
I started out studying chemistry but my keyboard antics were better received than my explosion-prone lab efforts, and so I moved into journalism (see CV). Much of my writing is on science and technology topics, including in-depth business profiles and quite a bit on the state of the biotechnology industry and the environment.
Having said that, I have covered everything from swimming in rancid chocolate to watching Robbie Williams videos at the dentist. And I recently enjoyed writing about the science behind movie special effects in teen consumer magazine Flipside.
My writing has appeared in annual, monthly, weekly and daily magazine and Internet titles, and on the radio. I have written for business, consumer and academic audiences both nationally and internationally. I've recently been a regular contributor to the Science for Environment Policy site, a news service set up by the European Commission's DG Environment to reinforce the links between science and policy.
From time to time I lecture MSc students on the University of the West of England's Science Communication course in Bristol, where I teach science writing.
Latest project
Towards the end of 2007 I put together a report on sustainable food supplies for the Royal Society of Chemistry. I also completed a UK careers article for the AAAS publication Science, and put together a snapshot of the UK biotech industry for inward investors for Invest in the UK 2008.
This year the focus is definitely shifting towards science policy. I've been editing the Royal Society of Chemistry's Policy Bulletin, and writing environment stories aimed at policy makers for the Science for Environment Policy site. On the heavy industry side I've recently interviewed the CEO of South Africa's Afrox. I've also tapped into the UK's stem cell programme in a recent article for Chemistry & Industry.
At UWE in Bristol I've been involved with offering media training days to science policy professionals, and I will be taking part in a careers day for chemistry students at the University of Southampton.