Previous Naked Scientists

Richard Smith is a Geologist from Royal Holloway, London, and a technophile who is hopelessly addicted to expensive electrical gadgetry. However, this latter quality made him the ideal candidate to edit the audio and video material from the show, for our guest interviews and Archived science radio shows. His greatest weakness is his left wrist, which he broke whilst off snowboarding last Christmas ...tch... these novices eh! His chief disability is now lifting his pint of Guinness.

Mandy Morton is a freelance radio presenter from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. At one time she hosted a Saturday morning programme, and once a month The Naked Scientists would join her on air to talk science for half an hour. Once the Naked Scientists became a firm presence at BBC Cambridgeshire Mandy became the ideal choice to step in and host the show when Chris was away. She how presents an arts programme on a weekday evening and is writing a book. We're very grateful to her for all her help and support along the way.

Catherine was one of the pioneers of our first forays into science broadcasting, back in 2000. She and Chris (Smith) were both PhD students in the same lab and, finding that their research wasn't keeping them sufficiently busy, they decided to write a grant application to the BBSRC, who funded Catherine, asking them to fund a radio show instead! Catherine left after the first series to pursue other interests including science writing and research into bacteriophage therapy. She now lives in Scotland (never mind) where she works in sales. We never knew that door to door could be so lucrative Catherine!

Shwen Gwee is currently completing his PhD, on the neuroscience of addiction, and now lives in Boston, USA. He has helped to assemble the video archive of interview guests , and he has headed up the Naked Scientists Research Team, which helps to solve listeners questions live on-air. Shwen has also been a key member of Naked Science (Cafe-Scientifique Cambridge), which was set up by The Naked Scientists and launched in May 2002, with Shwen at the helm designing the posters and adverts for the events. In a nutshell, Shwen is Sony's biggest fan. He's got the shirt, watch, camera(s), credit cards, and if Sony made underpants, he'd wear them.

Alison George, who has finally been captured on camera, began life as a biologist before working as a post-doc at the British Antarctic Survey. She is currently an editor for New Scientist. For the Naked Scientists she has researched and written up hot items related to environmental issues such as holes in the ozone layer and ice-cream! Alison has also proved herself an excellent presenter in the past, stepping in when certain team members have regrettably been prevented from getting to the show, owing to being unavoidably detained...in the pub.

Julia Graham is a PhD student with the Department of Psychiatry where she is working with functional imaging to understand how the brain works. She was the MRC-supported intern with the Naked Scientists in 2010.

Laura Soul is a geologist. She joined the Naked Scientists as a summer intern in 2009 during which she also produced a compelling audio account of her trek to Everest Base Camp, including descriptions of how she carried out a series of altitude-related physiology experiments on herself...

Phil Rosenberg completed his PhD in space science at the Open University in Milton Keynes, studying Titan, Saturn's largest Moon and the only Moon in our solar system to have a substantial atmosphere (unlike his local pub, which is why he comes drinking with us). In reality, he's been striving to re-contact the alien race he thinks he conversed with last time he was fiddling with his satellite dish. In addition to his Naked Scientists contributions, Phil has also worked previously as the astronomical (not to be confused with astrological!) researcher for the BBC's "Sky at Night" programme, and he has also been involved in projects with the European Space Agency.