Reaching for the Stars

Event Description

Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society Event

Speaker - Dame Maggie Aderin Pocock, Space Scientist and Chancellor of the University of Leicester
When - 13 Jan 2025, 19:30 - 21:00
Location - Hansom Hall in the Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester LE1 6QL

Lecture outline

Maggie will share her remarkable path, from early curiosity about the natural world to becoming a prominent figure in astrophysics. Learn about her many space enterprises, the challenges she has overcome, and the passion that drives her quest for knowledge. 

Biographical note

Born in London to Nigerian parents, she attended 13 different schools before she turned 18 and had undiagnosed dyslexia.

Maggie has always had the desire to go to space. However, when she told a teacher that she wanted to be an astronaut, they suggested that she go into the caring professions as that was a more realistic aim.

She persevered with her love of science and obtained a physics degree and PhD in mechanical engineering at Imperial College London in 1994.

Maggie has worked for the UK Ministry of Defence helping to develop aircraft missile warning systems and hand-held instruments to detect landmines.

She worked at University College London from 1999 to 2005 develop a high-resolution spectrograph for the Gemini Observatory in Chile.

Maggie worked on the Aeolus satellite, which measures wind speeds in the Earth’s atmosphere to help with our understanding of climate change. She also worked on instrumentation for the James Webb Space Telescope.

She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Leicester in 2018.

Attending the lecture

The lecture is open both to members of the Society and to guests.

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