Meet the Team

Alis is an associate professor who studies the formation and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, near-field cosmology, and the nature of dark matter.

Ryan is a cosmologist who studies the origin of the Universe and all of the stuff that it contains.

Lorraine is an outreach & engagement specialist, creating opportunities for people from all walks of life to work together on creative science & arts programmes in schools, universities, science centres, & festivals. She loves that every day is different, meeting & working with so many amazing & inspiring people.

Isabel uses computer simulations to study what the smallest galaxies in the Universe can tell us about dark matter and how our own Galaxy the Milky Way formed. She did her PhD in Spain and worked in Canada before moving to Durham. She loves football, painting and singing.

Sownak studies how galaxies are distributed on the largest scales in the Universe, and tries to work out how these objects can be used to study the nature of dark matter and dark energy. His dream is to one day be a football writer.

Brooke plays as a goalkeeper and has made senior appearances for Durham Women against teams like Leicester City!

Grace is a defender for Durham Women FC and is comfortable playing anywhere across the backline!

Liam is the Year 6 teacher at Catchgate Primary where he has taught for the last 9 years. He is the science lead in school & runs one of the two school football teams. He studied Physical Education at Leeds Met Uni & completed his teaching degree at Sunderland Uni.

Jackie works in the volunteering and community outreach team at the university, leading the sport and physical activity outreach programme for both adults and children from the local community. She is slightly obsessed with sport, especially football.

With over 20 years of teaching experience Kate has experience as Primary Advanced Skills teacher and Deputy Head Teacher within Durham and Internationally.  She is an education professional development advisor and the County Durham Physical Education School Sport and Physical Activity Advisor.

Kevin was the founding Director of the National Football Museum, which he led for twenty years. He is now a consultant, specialising in sport in museums and public history. He is also an academic lecturer and author.