'Naked Scientist' Chris Smith joins ICE as Public Understanding of Science Fellow

The University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) is delighted to announce that as of 1 September 2014, Dr Chris Smith will be joining ICE’s academic staff as Public Understanding of Science Fellow.

Chris is a consultant virologist based in the University Department of Pathology and in the PHE (Public Health England) diagnostic microbiology laboratory at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He has made a major contribution to the public understanding of science in recent years through his multi-award-winning Naked Scientists project.

Through weekly BBC radio programmes and other avenues, the Naked Scientists project reaches millions of people internationally. Since 2007 the radio programme, which features University of Cambridge scientists and researchers, has been downloaded around 40 million times worldwide. The ‘Naked Scientists’ also contribute to the Cambridge Science Festival and provide training in public engagement and broadcast skills for University staff and students.

The Naked Scientists project has attracted significant funding and Chris has been the recipient of many national and international awards for science communication, including the Royal Society’s Kohn Medal.

Chris’s Public Understanding of Science Fellowship at ICE is a permanent University role supported by Vice-Chancellor, the School of Biological Sciences, the School of Clinical Medicine and the School of Technology. This reflects the fact that Chris’s work spans medical, biological and physical sciences and into engineering and technology.