She was nominated for the award by Professor John Gracey, DFG Mercator Fellow in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, who said: “Seeing Jaclyn giving mathematics and science talks at schools and clubs across the North West and the UK, she shows how she is an excellent role model for women in science as well as highlighting the benefits of a university degree, given her own widening participation background.”
Jaclyn says: “I got tired of seeing the same types of people talking at conferences, lecturing, and on TV documentaries and almost never saw anyone from Liverpool - or from a state school background for that matter - and very rarely saw women in these roles either. With my passion to improve the aspirations of disadvantaged young people and their chances to get into higher education, I started visiting schools to talk about what I do and how they too can have a career in maths, physics or even space science! To date I have given talks to more than 100 schools and community groups and I’ve made it my mission to challenge the diversity and inclusivity of the schools and organisations I visit.”
Now working as a Senior Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, Jaclyn has previously held roles at Positive Futures Liverpool, the Science Museum, the British Science Association and the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres.
She has recently been awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Mathematical Sciences, something she describes as an ‘amazing honour’, and she has also won the Sir Michael Marshall Award for Diversity in Air Charter at the Air Charter in Aviation Awards 2019, as well as the WISE Rising Star Award 2019.