Doctor Maggie Holds the Keys to the Universe

The 3 Rs are not rocket science, but as it happens, they were for Dr Maggie Aderin, Britain's leading female rocket scientist, because she's dyslexic. As a kid people thought that she was a bit slow. How wrong could they be, for now she is one of the brains behind the James Webb Space Telescope that will replace Hubble in 2013!

Maggie (38) was born in London to Nigerian parents who inspired her to overcome her reading difficulties assuring her that with hard work and self-belief she could achieve more than she realized. She first became excited by science and the space race at the age of 6. At 15 she made her own telescope. She could never wait for nightfall for the thrill of seeing the night sky. ‘I could see the craters of the Moon, Mars and Saturn’s rings through something I’d made with my own hands.’

Maggie ignored the less than cosmic school wisdom, that to succeed in science, she should set her sights on nursing. No, Maggie’s horizons extended way beyond and she became an astronomer after achieving a degree in Physics and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. ‘A career in physics gives you the keys to the universe,’ she said.

She has worked with the MoD developing missile warning systems for fighter planes, which led to developing a ground penetrating radar based landmine detector. We asked her how it felt to be a girl in a ‘boys-toys’ world? "People have been very supportive to me because there are so few black women in science," Maggie said. "Science is wonderful because people come to it from all over the world. We have a common cause and you are judged on what you do, not who you are or what colour your skin is."

One of Maggie’s current projects is the Living Planet programme for the European Space Agency, which aims to improve our knowledge of climate change using satellite sub-systems to monitor wind speeds and other variables in the atmosphere.

As well as being a very gutsy lady, Maggie has great warmth and charm and has launched herself into a new career as a science communicator and TV presenter. Most recently, she appeared on BBC Two in ‘A Beginner’s Guide to The Cosmos’ on 21st August and 4th September and is due to be featured in a programme produced by Glasshead Productions with the help of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) for Teachers’ TV, which will be broadcast at 6pm on 31st October.

Maggie recently visited SALT (one of the world’s largest telescopes) in South Africa with science documentary maker Dr. Mark Loughlin. "Maggie is a natural in front of the camera," he said. Whilst in South Africa Maggie was guest speaker at the SciFest Science Festival. "I don’t see myself as a role model," said Maggie. "I just see myself as little Maggie, plodding along with my bad spelling. If it helps people get into science, then it’s worth it." Maggie’s dyslexia means she struggles to read scientific papers and when she chairs meetings she owns up and wins everyone over.

Maggie has set her career goal on the ultimate frontier - space tourism. "We have plans to take people to the Moon, Mars and beyond. We are discovering planets going round other suns and continue to search for life." She would love to retire on Mars where she would potter and investigate. She’s well qualified to meet the Martians – if they’re out there.

"I chose physics because it’s the science of everything and you can’t ask for more than that".

Box copy

Maggie works for Astrium UK and is based in Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy and the Spinnaker Tower, which opened in October 2005 and is one of Britain’s tallest structures at 170 metres, so we thought this would be the ideal place to take some pictures of her. After all, without actually going up in a rocket or aeroplane it’s as close as you can get to touching the stars in the UK!

2007 is an especially significant year in space travel as 4th October is the 50th anniversary of the satellite Sputnik orbiting the Earth for the very first time, Maggie pointed out to us. To mark the anniversary, she is producing a DVD telling the exciting story of space exploration, which will be available in selected retail outlets in the Autumn.