Caroline Bird is one of ten finalists for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2014. She began writing plays as a teenager, when she was the youngest ever member of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme, and has twice been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize as the youngest writer on the list. She has won an Eric Gregory Award and the Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award two years running. She has had three collections of poetry published, as well as being published in several anthologies. She also performs poetry at various literary festivals, including at Royal Festival Hall, and is an enthusiastic leader of poetry workshops in primary and secondary schools.

Professor Iain Stewart is Professor of Geosciences Communication in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Plymouth. He obtained his BSc in Geography and Geology from Strathclyde University and went on to complete a PhD in Geology at the University of Bristol. His current research interests are Active Tectonics, Earthquakes, Coastal Geodynamics and Geological Catastrophes and Human Response. He is the presenter of numerous BBC Science programmes including the BAFTA nominated Earth: The Power of the Planet.

Jeremy Paxman is an English journalist, author and broadcaster and has worked for the BBC since 1977. He became the anchor of BBC Two television programme Newsnight in 1989, and has since interviewed several political personalities. He also presented Start The Week on BBC Radio Four for several years. Since 1994, he has appeared as a quizmaster in a long-running British television quiz show University Challenge. Mr Paxman is a published author and his books include Friends in High Places; Fish, Fishing and the Meaning of Life; The English; The Political Animal, On Royalty, and his most recent book, Empire: What Ruling the World Did to the British. Coinciding with this, in early 2012, the BBC broadcasted his latest series Empire, examining the history and legacy of the British Empire. Mr Paxman is also an honorary fellow of St. Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow by Special Election of St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and has received an honorary doctorate from the Open University in 2006.

Photo credit: Chatham House (Flickr)

Peter Ransom is a former President of The Mathematical Association and a global freelance Mathematics educator. He does some part-time work with Bath Spa University’s School of Education PGCE and works with NQTs as part of The Prince’s Teaching Institute. He is on the Education Committee of the London Mathematical Society, membership secretary of the British Society for the History of Mathematics, a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and also belongs to the Association of Teachers of Mathematics. He was involved with the Bowland Maths initiative as project leader for the sundials case study.

He has spent over 30 years teaching secondary Mathematics in state comprehensives and left the classroom in 2010 to pursue a freelance career in mathematical education. This was to allow him more time to give to the professional associations, to do more research and to attend conferences without having to worry about missing time with students in school. He takes risks. He has enjoyed Mathematics all his life and tries to pass on that enjoyment to all he meets. He has been known to travel around the country with a cannonball and sword.

Dr Sue Harris is Reader in French Cinema at Queen Mary, University of London. She is an Associate Editor of French Cultural Studies and an advisory board member of Studies in French Cinema. Sue is a specialist in French cinema and theatre studies and her interests range from the socio-cultural (spectatorship, cultural policy, national identity, festival culture, street theatre), to textual analysis. She is the author of a forthcoming monograph on An American in Paris in the BFI Film Classics Series, and has written widely on French cinema and popular culture.

Dr Peter Stark’s passion for conducting, inspirational leadership and dedication to teaching define his career. An infectious spirit of adventure and the belief that music exists in everyone are at the heart of Peter’s lifelong love of classical music and musicianship. As evidenced by awards and accolades of excellence, Peter’s vision of music for all inspires his work as mentor and professional, for example as Series Mentor to the BBC TV series Maestro, and as Rehearsal Director to the European Union Youth Orchestra. Peter remains dedicated to the advancement of sharing his vision. In addition to his professorship at the Royal College of Music, he was Coach and Conductor-in Residence to the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for 25 years.

Image credit: Chris Christodolou

Ben Garrod is an experienced conservation biologist and the star of BBC 4’s Secrets of Bones. He studied Animal Behaviour at university and did an MSc in Wild Animal Biology and has been lucky enough to work around the world with species ranging from chimpanzees and orangutans to walruses and mongooses. As well as being a passionate conservationist, Ben has always been very interested in animal skulls, bones and skeletons. Even as a youngster growing up in coastal Norfolk, he was happiest walking along beaches and through woods looking for feathers, poos and tracks and of course, skulls and bones. At university, Ben began articulating skeletons for displays and then whilst working in Africa, he was able articulate some more exotic species such as chimps, hornbills and some very big snakes. Ben articulates skeletons for universities, museums and individual clients; creating pieces for educational and display purposes. Ben is currently studying for a PhD in London in primate evolution and morphometrics.