Demonstrating at the Royal Institution

Jemma Naumann got her first taste of science communication through demonstrating experiments to first year students in her final year at Adelaide University in Australia.’I’ve always enjoyed doing experiments,’ she explains, ‘[and] when I found that I really enjoyed the teaching and then talking [about the experiments], it cemented my idea of wanting to go into science communication.’ Born and raised in Adelaide, she now communicates science on the other side of the world, running the Royal Institution’s L’Oreal Young Scientists Centre, in London, UK, where she presents a range of practical workshops for school-aged students.

Being the daughter of a chemistry teacher, Naumann was always exposed to chemistry and chose a year long organic chemistry research project in the final part of her undergraduate degree. ‘I was thinking about going into research and doing a PhD, but at the end of that honours year I discovered that there was a master of science communication outreach programme in Canberra at the Australian National University.’ This meant that in 2015, Jemma joined the circus! The master’s programme included a 12 week tour of Australia with the Shell Questacon Science Circus, presenting science to schools and local communities.

Naumann was already familiar with the Royal Institution (RI) before she saw there might be an opportunity to work there. In 2008 she was one of 10 Australian students awarded a scholarship to attend the RI’s Christmas lectures in London, and she even got to help out with one of presenter Chris Bishop’s demonstrations. After her master’s and while still in Australia, she saw a role advertised at the RI. Interviewing over Skype, it seemed like a long shot, but she was asked to join the L’Oreal Young Scientist Centre team, initially as a lab assistant and workshop facilitator.