Meet the Team
The dedicated individuals who make the Somerscience Festival possible, bringing together expertise in education, science, governance, and community engagement
Professor Alan Champneys
Chair
Alan is a professor in Engineering at the University of Bristol. Describing vanilla as not his favourite flavour, his interests in mathematics, knowledge exchange and popular science, as well as a wide portfolio of research related to dynamics at all scales.
Alan settled in Bath more than 30 years ago and have a strong affinity to the region.
Professor Chris Budd
Scientific director/safeguarding lead
Chris Budd OBE is Professor of Applied Maths at the University of Bath and has worked there for over 30 years. He works on the applications of maths to problems in the real world.
He is also the director of Baths Taps into Science (the Bath science festival) and is committed to making maths as interesting to the general public as possible.
Gavin Costigan
Secretary and Treasurer
Gavin is Chief Executive of the Foundation for Science and Technology, where he promotes discussion and collaboration between government, Parliament, industry and the research community in areas where science and technology meets policy and regulation.
Darren Wilson
Event and volunteer management
Darren is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
He has worked across Engineering, Project Management, Operations, and Business Transformation, delivering projects across the UK and Europe.
Kate Bartels
Comms and marketing lead
Kate is an experienced educator and Managing Director with over thirty years’ experience.
A STEM Ambassador and advocate for diversity and inclusion, she is a geospatial and environmental educator passionate about inspiring children through hands-on.
Rebecca Hale
Content curation/science fair liaison lead
Rebecca is passionate about making education engaging, accessible, and impactful, from teaching in secondary schools to managing museum learning programmes, she is now Education Content Manager at EngineeringUK.
In STEM, she focuses on reaching underrepresented groups using research and best practice, through events like the Big Bang Fair and campaigns such as Tomorrow’s Engineers Week.
Rachel Toal
Education/School liaison lead
Rachel is a recently retired Headteacher with over 35 years’ experience in Primary Education.
Skilled in curriculum design, staff development, governance, and collaborative leadership. Rachel is passionate about contributing to projects that inspire children’s aspirations and lifelong learning.
Our support team
Our dedicated experts in education, science, governance, and community engagement, acting as trusted advisors supporting the Somerscience Festival.
Thales Early Careers Team
Volunteers
The Somerscience Trust is proud to be supported in organising and managing the festival by a focussed and dedicated team of early-career apprentices generously provided by Thales.
Their year-long energy, creativity, and hard work play a huge part in making the event such a success.
We are incredibly grateful for their contribution and delighted to acknowledge all they do to bring the ever-growing festival to life each year.
Want to join our team?
We’re always looking for passionate individuals to help advance STEM education in Somerset
Get in Touch