The ASDC board of Trustees is comprised of 8 to 16 professionals who are committed to the mission and values of ASDC, representing leadership both within and beyond our membership. The Board works with the Chief Executive to drive the strategy and vision of ASDC.
Each year Trustee elections are held at The ASDC AGM.
For 2024, this will be held on Wednesday 18th September online.
Trustees serve a three year term and then stand for re-election if they wish. This sets up a rotation of Trustees that gives all ASDC member organisations the opportunity to stand for election to the ASDC Board and to help shape the direction of this national strategic organisation.
Standing for re-election to the ASDC Board of Trustees:
Stephen Breslin, Chairman of ASDC and Chief Executive, Glasgow Science Centre
Victoria Denoon, Head of Visitor Experience, W5 Science and Discovery Centre
Tudor Gywnn, Operations and Projects Director, Eureka! The National Children’s Museum
Bryan Snelling, Chief Executive, Aberdeen Science Centre
In 2024, we have three new candidates standing for election:
Bipon Bhakri, Finance and Resources Director, National Space Centre
I have been the Finance Director at the National Space Centre since March 2022 and have overall responsibility for Finance, HR, H&S and Governance. I have worked in finance leadership roles for a number of years across a wide range of organisations including Construction, Policing, Central and Local Government.
In addition to my role at the National Space Centre, I also act as a trustee for Care after Combat military veterans charity and as a audit committee member for Leicester City Council, Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service and Engineering Construction Industry Board.
Manifesto
After 2 years of working at the National Space Centre, and engaging with colleagues across the sector, I believe it’s a good time to join the ASDC board and help continue the good work it has been doing to raise awareness of the importance of science and STEM related education with the wide range of stakeholders.
Having worked in the construction industry for many year, supporting the educational agenda, including developing engagement programmes and qualifications which provided academic rigour, were industry approved and catered for all backgrounds, enabling young people to be attracted to construction and delivering annually over 10,000 national apprenticeships, then I have good transferable experience of the challenges and opportunities facing the ASDC network to get visitors and schools to get excited about science, I am keen to use my experience to help secure the long term success of the network.
What I bring
- 20 years of operational and strategic financial experience across Educational Charities and Not for Profit organisations, Central and Local Government bodies
- Commitment to building partnerships with the sector to share knowledge and strengthen purchasing power to support sustainable financial operations
- Enthusiasm for the work of the ASDC and desire to work collaboratively with other Science centres to achieve collective success
Abi Fafolu, Founder, Lit Laboratory (Lab), Senior Strategy Analyst at HM Revenue & Customs
Abisola Fafolu has a Master’s degree in Bioengineering from Imperial College, and over 7 years’ experience in public engagement with science. She spent her early career in science engagement, including on the Science Desk of The Guardian Observer and promoting open-access publishing at the European Medical Journal and Springer Nature.
Since joining the UK government in 2015, she’s worked in strategy, policy and programmes across four government departments including the Office of the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Lord Patrick Valance, upholding the role of science and evidence in decision making, and promoting developments in science as a Press Officer to the UK Science Minister.
Abi is currently a government policy and strategy maker, and runs the Lit Laboratory (Lab), a "Science and Sip” experience reconnecting underrepresented audiences aged 21 to 40 with science.
Manifesto
My passion, like that of the ASDC and its partners, is to engage the public with science.
I commit to helping the ASDC and its partners to reach into more communities, understand their perspectives and increasingly benefit as many people as possible.
With my experience in policy, strategy, and innovative public engagement with science, I will champion new ways to present science, and for the public to interact with it, including navigating digital technologies and the internet.
What I bring
- A unique blend of expertise and passion to work with the community to change perceptions of what STEM is and who STEM is for.
- 9 years in strategic roles across four government departments focusing on the UK’s engagement with science.
- As a Black British woman, I have lived experience of the intersectional barriers to engaging with STEM in the UK.
Steve Scott, Public Engagement Lead, UK Research and Innovation
In my role as Public Engagement Lead at UK Research and Innovation, I lead on a broad portfolio of programmes that aim to build stronger relationships between the public and research and innovation. I have a particular focus on public engagement with research; working with universities and enabling underrepresented communities to engage with, actively participate in and lead their own research. Previously I have supported and enabled public engagement at research institutes, including ten years at the Wellcome Genome Campus, home to the Human Genome Project. There I worked with researchers to develop their engagement skills and plans, as well as develop spaces and exhibits, festivals and digital content to enable the public to creatively engage with science.
Manifesto
Some parts of our society have continuously been overlooked and excluded from engaging with science and in some cases negatively affected by their experiences of research. I feel that science centres are cornerstones for improving this relationship by providing safe spaces for exploration and open, honest discussions about how research contributes to our everyday lives and tackles big issues that matter to people, from climate change to health disparities. Science centres are innovative and progressive and there is much that other sectors can learn from how they have built strong connections with their local communities and adapted their approaches to reach diverse and underrepresented groups. I want to champion the innovative work of science centres and ensure it is valued as a vital component of the R&I ecosystem.
What I bring
Over 20 years’ experience of working in public engagement with research, changing institutional cultures and enabling public engagement through funding.
- A passion for equitable, inclusive, collaborative practice that recognises and values the knowledge and expertise within underrepresented communities.
- A route into contemporary research and the people leading cutting edge research in universities and research organisations.
- A connection with science centres throughout my career as a developer of exhibits and spaces for the public to engage with science, as a practitioner at an ASDC member organisation and as a partner with ASDC on Mindset + Missions.