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Welcome to Mark Burnett – supporting us with corporate engagement!
17th March 2026
We’re thrilled to share that Mark Burnett will be supporting Exeter Science Centre in a voluntary strategic role focused on developing and implementing our Corporate Engagement Strategy.
With nearly 30 years’ experience in marine technology, environmental monitoring and innovation leadership — including around two decades with WGP Group and the past decade with Seiche Ltd — Mark will help strengthen partnerships between Exeter Science Centre and organisations committed to advancing science, technology and environmental understanding.
We’re working toward the development of a major new hands-on science centre in Barnstaple, North Devon, to connect everyone with local research, industry and action around global issues – and we’re keen to work with corporate partners to support our work, feature in our exhibitions, and to collaborate with us on educational projects.
Mark will be supporting us in reaching regional and global organisations to support meaningful STEMM engagement and contribute to addressing some of the world’s most important challenges — including the health of our oceans and rivers, climate resilience, environmental monitoring, and the responsible application of emerging technologies such as AI and advanced sensing systems.
By connecting industry with education and communities, we aim to:
• Inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and innovators;
• Support STEMM learning pathways and future workforce development;
• Showcase real-world science and technology tackling global challenges;
• Enable organisations to demonstrate meaningful ESG and CSR leadership;
• Build stronger connections between research, industry, nonprofits and the wider public.
We welcome conversations with organisations, foundations and global enterprises interested in supporting science engagement and education, while strengthening their contribution to environmental stewardship and societal impact.
Exeposé article about Our Positive Future: Exwick!
9th March 2026
Huge thanks to our wonderful volunteer Julia Szewczyk who has written up an Exeposé article of her experience at the Our Positive Future: Exwick event last month!
Find the article on page 29 in the issue here: https://issuu.com/exeposeexeter/docs/issue_780 and see more about the event on our webpage, including the amazing poem for Exwick created and read by Micha Colombo!
ESC Featured Article – Charles Stanley
20th February 2026
We’re thrilled that Charles Stanley has featured an article by Natalie in their InFocus magazine, and now on their website!
In this article, Natalie takes us on a brief, personal trip to a positive future – and explains why we think science centres have a crucial role to play in making that positive future.
Check out the article and the references and further reading at linktr.ee/esc_infocus…
… which includes a link to the Association for Science and Discovery Centres campaign ‘Science Centres For Our Future‘ – this campaign highlights the important work of science centres in the UK, and how it’s crucial that they are recognised and supported alongside other cultural organisations.
“What’s your vision of a positive future?“
It’s something we’ve been asking our communities ever since our Climate Stories Gallery, in the run up to our first climate exhibition in March 2022 – and it was a key theme to our first video describing our work and ambitions.
Since then, we’ve developed this idea into a 1-day event experience along with our amazing collaborators Bob Walley and Katie Villa, which we’re working to take on tour across the region. We’re also very inspired by Rob Hopkins’ work in this area, who asks ‘what if?’ in his recent books and inspiring workshops, and the research (such as this work) around how imagining a better future can inspire people to work towards it.
Let us know what you think of the article – Natalie would love to hear what your vision of a positive future was like!
Funding our work in Barnstaple!
10th February 2026
We are so grateful to have received funding recently to support our work in Barnstaple:
Philip J Milton & Company Plc: 40th Legacy Awards
Huge thanks to Philip J Milton & Company PLC for choosing us as one of the beneficiaries of their 40th Legacy Awards grants. They have provided £1,000 to support our consultation work for our first physical science centre with disadvantaged communities in Northern Devon.
The Marketors’ Trust: The Marketors’ Charity Grants 2025
We are thrilled to receive one of two £10,000 grants from the Marketors’ Trust to support our campaign in launching our upcoming science centre in Barnstaple! This funding will help us get the message out about our work to new audiences, and make a huge success of the launch of our very first space!
Stay tuned on our events and social media pages for updates – huge thanks to our generous funders for supporting our work!
New project: Demystifying AI
13th January 2026
We’re excited to announce that we’re one of 15 partners running the Association for Science and Discovery Centre’s science engagement programme: Demystifying AI!
This new programme has been created to support young people, families, schools and communities to understand AI in everyday life, careers and skills development in AI, and to platform regional diversity through both in person and online engagements.
Over the next 3 months we will be developing a new hands-on experience as well as a series of livestream events. Stay tuned for updates on our social media and events page!
UPDATE: the first livestream dates are being announced on our new webpage and our events page, check them out here!
Help inform our livestream series!
We’re asking local experts your question in our new livestream series – so send us ANY questions you have about AI, and we’ll explore the answers in our new series!
Are you a local research / industry professional working in / with AI? Get involved!
Demystifying AI is supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with project development from Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC, part of UKRI).
Exeter Science Centre is part of a UK-wide network of regional science and discovery centres and museums all playing a strategic role in engaging the public with science and technology. Every year this network engages over 25 million people, delivering cutting-edge scientific research and broad and inclusive community engagement to develop essential STEM skills for future generations of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.
Find out more about the Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) and the full range of national science engagement programmes running across the UK here: http://www.sciencecentres.org.uk/projects
Share your work!
If you’re a local researcher or industry professional working in the AI industry or who uses AI in your work on global issues, get involved via our Google Form: https://tinyurl.com/ESC-demystifyingAI
ESC featured in new podcast
12th November 2025
We’re thrilled to be featured in the latest Exeter Stories podcast!
In the podcast, Alice and Natalie discuss some behind-the-scenes updates, our plans for the future, as well as the story of how it all started.
Listen to our episode and all the episodes so far via the Exeter Stories Linktr.ee:
Huge thanks to Paul Batterham for setting up this inspiring series, and for featuring us in it!
Featured spine health research collaboration
8th October 2025
Huge thanks to UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) for featuring our research collaboration with Prof Jude Meakin in their EPSRC research outcomes and impact series!
We worked with Prof Meakin from the University of Exeter’s Biophysics research group, and her research team from Exeter and Cardiff Universities, in 2022-2023 to develop a public engagement programme of their work; including a website and infographic, and culminating in the featured World Spine Day 2023 consultation event.
We loved how this project enabled residents to genuinely get involved in influencing local research! The researchers were particularly interested in how they should communicate their research, and understanding whether their methods of creating accurate spine models – which need volunteers to take X-rays and MRI scans – would be considered too invasive. It was incredibly helpful to have public participants with experience of / interest in back pain contributing to the discussion, and it has had an important influence on the researchers’ work.
We’re also glad that our contribution as a convenor and mediator of this event was helpful! The article was submitted by Prof Meakin and her team, and says:
Science centre was critical to successful event
The researchers faced challenges in recruiting people to take part in the engagement event… They turned to Exeter Science Centre, a local organisation that aims to involve the community in science, for help in recruiting people and facilitating the event.
The team’s advice for other researchers doing patient and public involvement was:
– to use professional organisers who can keep you to time and keep you on subject
– not to be afraid to get help with the recruitment and planning.
Jenny added: “One of the takeaways for me was that we would have struggled to carry off that event without the help of Exeter Science Centre.”
Check out the article, and find out more about the project on the project website!
Join our board of trustees!
2nd September 2025
If you love what we do, and want to support our work behind the scenes: join us as a trustee!
We’re looking to broaden the diversity of ideas and experience on our board, and so are looking for proactive individuals with skills / a background in:
– fundraising,
– marketing / branding / comms / media,
– an understanding of the networks & needs of communities in Northern Devon (where we’re working to make our first physical centre).
Could this be you? Have a look at the full details here and apply by 5th October!
We’re hiring!
26th August 2025
We’re thrilled to announce a new position to support our projects, with a focus in Northern Devon!
It’s a full time position (and we operate a 4-day work week – see below) but we’re willing to discuss part time options for the right person.
Applications are now closed for this position – huge thanks to everyone who took the time to apply!
More info: 4-day work week
We are a now a 4-day work-week employer, without compressed hours, and without a reduction in pay – because the evidence shows it’s best for you, and for us. It’s the kind of change we’d like to see in society, so we’ve implemented it for our own organisation.
This means that full time for us is a focused 32 hours per week, and – for now – across Monday to Thursday during a typical week. When we grow and roles change in future, we may have to adapt this, in consultation with our team.
We sometimes do events and activities on Fridays, evenings or weekends, but we have a fair time off in lieu policy for this.
More info: our recruitment process
We are committed to making our recruitment process as fair and safe as possible.
We follow best-practice methods to avoid unconscious bias, and structure our questions and process to value a candidate’s skills, experience, values and suitability for the role:
- We anonymise the first stage of the application process as much as possible, do not ask for detailed information on protected characteristics, and score the answers to each question separately.
- We do not ask for CVs or cover letters so please do not send these to us, we will not consider these as part of an application.
- We understand that interviews are stressful and you’ll perform best when you have time to prepare, so we provide interview questions in advance.
We’re always looking to improve our processes, so get in touch if you think we’re missing anything.
New project: Next Gen Earth!
6th August 2025
We’re excited to be part of Next Gen Earth!
This is a new UK-wide programme championing youth leadership in environmental science, supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and facilitated by the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC).
We will be partnering with SPACE Youth Services to co-develop a youth-led programme, exploring environmental science through the lens of young people’s interests and lived experience in Northern Devon.
Focusing on Bideford and Barnstaple youth centres – close to the proposed site of our first physical science centre – this programme will support us in ensuring our centre is developed inclusively, reflecting local needs and interests.
We can’t wait to get started!
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