Dr Nicola Stock

Public Engagement with Research Manager

Biography

Background

Nicola is a public engagement professional with a background in biological sciences, who believes that science is for everyone.

Following an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences (Pathology) at the University of Cambridge, Nicola’s interest in virology led her first to a Research Technician role in Prof Dave Rowlands’ group at the University of Leeds, followed by a PhD with Prof Rick Randall at the University of St Andrews.  She then moved to the US for a Howard Hughes Medical Institute-funded postdoctoral fellowship with Prof Robert A. Lamb at Northwestern University, during which she volunteered as a docent (visitor guide) at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.

These experiences convinced Nicola that she was happiest as a scientific generalist and better suited to talking about science than researching it, so she returned to the UK and a science communication role at the Life Science Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After working across all areas of science engagement at Life, she found her niche in science education, developing hands-on science centre workshops for learners of all ages, and latterly working on UK-wide projects in her role as Education Manager.

In 2012, seeking an opportunity to work in a more independent science engagement role and to re-establish her connection with research, Nicola moved to the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute to lead on Public Engagement with Research. She has since developed an award-winning research engagement programme for non-specialist audiences that includes the Easter Bush Science Outreach Centre, a purpose-built engagement lab for schools and community groups that opened in 2017.

When not communicating science, Nicola loves to sing, knit and cook, and is learning how to sail.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of St Andrews "A Comparative Study of Interferon Evasion by Paramyxovirus V Proteins"

Master of Arts, University of Cambridge, Natural Sciences (Pathology)

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