We’re extremely proud of alumni Ayesha Tandon (MSci Natural Sciences, 2019) and Simon Clark (PhD in Maths, 2018) who were recently recognised for their passion and knowledge in driving science forward, and engaging with new audiences in innovative ways to help find solutions to addressing climate change. They were joint winners of the Emerging Communicator award from the Royal Metrological Society in their 2023 Awards, and we caught up with them to celebrate and find out more.
The annual Awards of the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) are considered one of the most prestigious accolades in meteorology, with a history dating back to 1901. This year the winners were announced and awards presented in person at the RMetS Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 22 May at the HMS Belfast in London.
Simon is an atmospheric science communicator who making YouTube videos in 2010 as an undergraduate at the University of Oxford, initially focused on helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds apply to prestigious universities. He has spoken at New Scientist Live, hosted the 2022 TED/YouTube Countdown event, and presented for BBC Earth, Sky News, BBC Bitesize and the Weather Channel, both as an expert interviewee and as a to-camera talent. The award recognises how well Simon easily translates complex science into digestible information, and avoided oversimplification.
Speaking about how it felt to be recognised with this award Simon shared: “Science communication – especially in forms of media like YouTube videos – is a relatively new field, and so it is uncommon to gain recognition for your work in this area. Awards like this are very important, both in legitimising the work we do and the field as a whole. It felt wonderful to be recognised for the work I’ve done since graduating! This is the first time I’ve had recognition from a long-standing institution, and it’s definitely going right at the top of my CV.”
Ayesha is a science journalist at Carbon Brief, an outstanding source of authoritative information on climate change for non-specialist audiences. She writes brilliant articles about a huge range of subjects – from the health impacts of extreme weather events to polar ice loss to a field research campaign in Thailand. This stellar journalism meant that she has also been shortlisted for the Association of British Science Writers’ ‘Newcomer of the year’ award in 2023, and won a prestigious EGU journalism fellowship in 2022.
Whilst unable to collect her award in person she was thrilled with the recognition and said: “It is an honour to be recognised by such a prestigious body. Seeing my name listed alongside so many incredible scientists, whose work I have been looking up to for years, is pretty surreal. And to win this award alongside Simon is especially exciting! I have been following Simon’s work for years, and his videos on climate science are a huge source of inspiration for me.”
During their time at Exeter both Simon and Ayesha made the most of opportunities to shape their skills as science communicators. Simon enjoyed running a science show on Xpression FM with his friend Dr Hannah Wakeford and occasionally contributing to Exeposé. His PhD studies also afforded him the flexibility to make YouTube videos about his work. Simon shares: “This was where I really honed my craft. So I owe Exeter a great debt of gratitude: firstly for allowing me to do my research, and secondly for giving me the freedom to make videos about it!”
In Ayesha’s case, the University’s close ties with the UK Met Office were invaluable during the final year of her degree. She did a three-month summer internship there, as well as working there part-time during her final year of university, and securing a job there after graduation. Ayesha says: “This was a unique chance to work alongside world-leading climate scientists – many of whom happily gave up hours of their time to welcome me and show me the ropes! It was a brilliant place to start my career.”
With climate change challenges increasing and the need for clear communications becoming more vital Ayesha and Simon certainly won’t be resting on their laurels after celebrating. Both of them have been looking forward to the opportunities ahead of them as well.
Discussing his upcoming plans Simon says: “I recently moved into a studio space, which means I’m finally no longer making videos in my spare bedroom! This will free me up to make more ambitious projects, combining cinematic and practical elements. I’m really excited to evolve the format of my videos and make stuff unlike anything else on YouTube. Alongside this, I’m also in the early stages of writing a second book, but I can’t say much more about that…”
And reflecting on her next steps Ayesha is keen to stay grounded:”I am incredibly fortunate to have a job that I love! But I should acknowledge the position of privilege that has allowed me to get to this point. Climate change is a justice issue, and communicating it is a huge responsibility. I hope that I continue to have fun in my career, and to experiment with new projects and styles of communication. But I also hope that I remember the people at the heart of the stories I am telling, and use my work to amplify the voices of disempowered and marginalized communities.”
Huge congratulations to both Ayesha and Simon on their success and we can’t wait to keep up with their careers in the years to come!
Discover more about the awards.
If you’ve got an alumni news suggestion our DMs on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X, are always open, or you can drop us an email at alumni@exeter.ac.uk. We always love hearing from, and celebrating with, you all!