The Astrobiology Society of Britain and the Open University are delighted to announce that Dr Louisa Preston has been chosen to accept the second biennial Barrie Jones Award. That award is intended to reward scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to society through outreach and/or education work in astrobiology, and was established to commemorate the life of Prof Barrie Jones (1941 – 2014), who spent most of his career at the Open University, where he dedicated much of his time to public engagement and outreach, as well as leading an outstanding research career.
Dr Preston is a UK Space Agency Aurora Research Fellow based at Birkbeck, University of London. She is a talented researcher, and a gifted and passionate communicator of science who has regularly discussed astrobiology and space science on programs such as BBC Stargazing Live, The Sky at Night, and Horizon. Dr Preston is a TED Fellow, and recently published her first popular science book: ‘Goldilocks and the Water Bears: The Search for Life in the Universe’.
After being presented with the 2017 Barrie Jones Award, Dr Preston will give the Barrie Jones Memorial Lecture, a free public talk in the Berrill Lecture Theatre at the Open University, as part of the forthcoming Astrobiology Society of Britain Conference, on Wednesday 13th September.
Prof. Barrie Jones (1941–2014): The Barrie Jones Award was established to commemorate the life of Prof. Barrie Jones who spent most of his career at the Open University, where he dedicated much of his time to public engagement and outreach, as well as leading an outstanding research career.
