The Network
Anu Ojha
Director of Education and Space Communications, National Space Centre, Leicester
Anu Ojha has been Director of Education and Space Communications at the National Space Centre, Leicester since 2008 and is Director of the National Space Academy programme (STFC, ESA, UK Space Agency).
Formerly Assistant Headteacher (Director of Science and Mathematics) at the largest Specialist Science College in the UK, he was awarded Advanced Skills Teacher status by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2003, was a Physics Lead Practitioner for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust in 2010-2011 and continues to teach A Level physics as part of the Academy’s new post-16 Space Engineering programme in partnership with Loughborough College.
He is also developing the new National Framework for Space Engineering Higher Apprenticeships for the UK space sector.
He has presented sessions at NASA conferences at Johnson Space Center (2007-2010) as well as at the 2010 - 2012 ESA (European Space Agency) annual Teacher Conferences held at ESTEC (ESA’s lead centre for space engineering) in Holland.
"As a species we have always wondered what is over the horizon - that intellectual journey that humanity finds itself on has its greatest expression in space science. Who wouldn’t - or couldn’t - be inspired by this?"
In November 2009 he presented keynote lectures at the British Council’s Hong Kong “Science Alive” festival and co-delivered the annual Tribal Lecture in 2010 with Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).
In addition to being appointed as an ESA “space ambassador” he has worked as a consultant for ESA in Holland and Spain using data from the SOHO solar observatory and Mars Express missions.
In 2010 he was awarded the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Inspiration by the UK space industry.
Advisory panels/other roles
- Contributed to UK Space Agency’s Space Exploration Review (BNSC 2009) and ESA/European Union workshops on future space exploration strategies (2010)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Public Engagement Advisory Panel (2008-present)
- National Centre for Earth Observation Advisory Group (education and outreach) (2010-present)
- Extensive media briefings and programme appearances for Discovery Channel, BBC World, The Sky at Night, Sky News and Radios 1-5.
- Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society
More about Anu:
Anu Ojha profile by UK Space Agency
50 Years of the UK in Space - UK Space Agency video
Video of session on comets by Anu at ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Holland.
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