Kathy Sykes

Who is Kathy Sykes?

Kathy Sykes is a British physicist, academic and broadcaster. She has been Professor of Sciences and Society at the University of Bristol since November 2002. She has presented various BBC2 and Open University TV series, including Rough Science, Ever Wondered about Food, Alternative Therapies. Alternative Medicine and presented for the documentary television miniseries, Brave New World with Stephen Hawking in 2011.

She helped to create and co-directs Cheltenham Science Festival and NESTA Famelab, a national UK competition which talent spots and trains new faces in science communication. She was Head of Science for Explore-At-Bristol, in charge of the team creating the content for the award-winning Hands-on Science Centre. She is a member of the Council for Science and Technology, the UK government's top-level advisory body on science and technology policy issues. She has also sat on advisory panels in public engagement in science for the Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust and EPSRC. She is a trustee of NESTA and a board member of Explore-At-Bristol.

She won the 2006 Royal Society Kohn Award for Excellence in Engaging the Public with Science. She holds an honorary D.Sc. degree and honorary fellowship from the University of Gloucestershire.