# Maggie Aderin-Pocock
**Dame Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock** (born 1968 in London) is a British space scientist, science educator, and broadcaster best known as a co-presenter of the BBC's long-running astronomy program *The Sky at Night* since February 2014[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). Her scientific career has centered on building bespoke optical instruments, from hand-held landmine detectors and aircraft missile-warning systems to a spectrograph for the [Gemini Observatory](https://www.edgepedia.org/gemini-observatory) in Chile and instrumentation for the [James Webb Space Telescope](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-webb-space-telescope) and the Aeolus satellite[2](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/21/maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-bbc-nasa-space) • [3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock). She was appointed MBE in 2009 and made a Dame Commander of the [Order of the British Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/order-of-the-british-empire) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to science education and diversity[4](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/maggie-aderin-pocock) • [5](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4519984).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968, London, to Nigerian parents[6](https://royalsociety.org/~/media/policy/projects/leading-the-way/inspiring-scientists/inspiring-scientists-280514.pdf) |
| Education | BSc in physics (1990) and PhD in mechanical engineering (1994), Imperial College London[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock) |
| Signature instruments | Hand-held landmine detectors, missile-warning systems, the bHROS spectrograph for the Gemini telescope in Chile, and instrumentation for the James Webb Space Telescope and Aeolus satellite[2](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/21/maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-bbc-nasa-space) • [7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/) • [3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock) |
| Broadcasting | Co-presents *The Sky at Night* with Chris Lintott since February 2014; BAFTA-nominated for the children's program *Stargazing* (2016)[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock) • [8](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02303-x) |
| Outreach company | Founded Science Innovation Ltd in 2004; she estimates she has spoken to roughly 500,000 people, mainly schoolchildren[9](https://time.com/7177621/london-time100-talk-science-drives-global-solutions/) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/29/dr-maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-the-art-of-stargazing) |
| Honors | MBE 2009; Dame Commander (DBE) 2024; Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize 2020[4](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/maggie-aderin-pocock) • [5](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4519984) • [1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock) |
| Chancellor | Chancellor of the University of Leicester since 1 March 2023, for a five-year term[3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock) |
## Early life and education
Aderin-Pocock was born in London to Nigerian parents in the late 1960s[6](https://royalsociety.org/~/media/policy/projects/leading-the-way/inspiring-scientists/inspiring-scientists-280514.pdf). Her childhood was unsettled: her parents separated when she was around four, and she attended 13 different schools before turning 18[3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock). She has dyslexia, which was undiagnosed at the time, and despite being academically able she was placed in a class for children with additional needs[3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock) • [11](https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). She has said that a teacher, when told she wanted to be an astronaut, suggested the caring professions as a more realistic aim[3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock).
Two childhood influences fixed her ambition. The children's television series *The Clangers* introduced the idea of space travel, and she later became absorbed in *Star Trek*[11](https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). As a teenager she joined telescope-making classes in Camden, north London, grinding her own mirror and adding motors and electronics so the telescope could track stars[2](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/21/maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-bbc-nasa-space).
She studied at [Imperial College London](https://www.edgepedia.org/imperial-college-london), graduating with a BSc in physics in 1990 and completing a PhD in mechanical engineering in 1994[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). Her doctoral work, sponsored by major oil companies, developed an optical system for examining engine oils so lubricants could be tested more effectively and cheaply[7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/). She was the only Black woman on her physics course there[12](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/people/72433/maggie-aderin-on-reaching-the-stars).
## Scientific career
**Defense work.** Entering a recession-hit job market in 1994, she joined the UK Ministry of Defence, where she developed optical systems that detected missiles, warned the pilot, and deployed decoys to protect aircraft[7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/). Her next project produced hand-held landmine detectors combining a metal detector, ground-penetrating radar, and nuclear quadrupole resonance to detect explosives[7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/). She spent her early career at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency on this work[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock).
**Astronomical instrumentation.** In 1999 she moved to [University College London](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-college-london) to manage the project building bHROS, a high-resolution optical spectrograph for the Gemini telescope in Chile[7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/). The instrument's high spectral resolution allowed studies of stellar populations, the interstellar medium, and physical phenomena in low-mass stars[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). She flew to Chile herself to assemble the instrument at the telescope and stayed about nine months[7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/).
**Space instruments.** Returning to industry, she worked as a project manager at Surrey Satellites (later part of Astrium) on a spectrographic instrument that formed one small component of the James Webb Space Telescope[7](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/). She also worked on and managed the observation instruments for the [European Space Agency](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-space-agency)'s Aeolus satellite, which measured wind speeds in Earth's atmosphere to improve understanding of climate change[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock) • [3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock). At Astrium in [Portsmouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/portsmouth) she led the optical instrumentation group, managing satellite sub-systems built under ESA's Living Planet Programme[13](https://www.royalsociety.org/about-us/who-we-are/diversity-inclusion/case-studies/case-study-aderin-pocock/).
## Science communication
**Science Innovation Ltd.** In 2004 she founded Science Innovation Ltd, a company dedicated to public engagement with science, particularly aimed at schoolchildren from underrepresented backgrounds[9](https://time.com/7177621/london-time100-talk-science-drives-global-solutions/) • [14](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2189038/maggie-aderin-pocock/). She has said the company grew from her observation that scientists struggled to fill posts and that the public reacted with fascination once they heard what science actually involved[10](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/29/dr-maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-the-art-of-stargazing). By 2023 she estimated she had spoken to about 500,000 people, mainly schoolchildren, over 19 years of school visits and conferences[10](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/29/dr-maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-the-art-of-stargazing).
**Television.** Since February 2014 she has co-presented *The Sky at Night* with [Chris Lintott](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-lintott), taking on the program after the death of its presenter of 56 years, [Patrick Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-moore)[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/29/dr-maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-the-art-of-stargazing). Her other presenting work includes *Do We Really Need the Moon?* ([BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two), 2011), *In Orbit: How Satellites Rule Our World* (BBC Two, 2012), *Stargazing* on CBeebies, and *Out of This World* on CBBC[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). She earned a BAFTA nomination in 2016 for her work on the children's program *Stargazing*[8](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02303-x).
**Books.** Her books include *The Sky at Night Book of the Moon* (BBC Books, 2018), the children's book *Dr. Maggie's Grand Tour of the Solar System* (2019), and *Am I Made of Stardust?* (October 2022), an Amazon bestseller[11](https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock). Her autobiography, *Starchild: My Life Under the Night Sky*, was published in February 2026[12](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/people/72433/maggie-aderin-on-reaching-the-stars).
## Honors and institutional roles
She received an MBE in 2009 for services to science and science education[4](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/maggie-aderin-pocock). In the 2024 New Year Honours she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, listed as [Chancellor](https://www.edgepedia.org/chancellor) of the [University of Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-leicester), for services to science education and to diversity[5](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4519984). The [Institute of Physics](https://www.edgepedia.org/institute-of-physics) awarded her the William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize in 2020 for her public engagement in physics, and she was the first Black woman to win a gold medal in the Physics News Awards[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock).
Her institutional roles include president of the British Science Association from 2021 to 2022, honorary research associate of UCL's Department of Physics and [Astronomy](https://www.edgepedia.org/astronomy), and Chancellor of the University of Leicester from 1 March 2023, a five-year term in which she serves as the university's ceremonial head[1](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock) • [3](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock). She has also served as a commissioner on the UK government's Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities[4](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/maggie-aderin-pocock).
In 2025 she delivered the [Royal Institution Christmas Lectures](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-institution-christmas-lectures), marking the 200th anniversary of the series established by Michael Faraday in 1825, with three talks on the search for extraterrestrial life broadcast on BBC Four and iPlayer[15](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/maggie-aderin-pocock-lead-epic-voyage-through-time-and-space-2025). She has described the role as one of the highlights of her life[12](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/people/72433/maggie-aderin-on-reaching-the-stars).
## References
1. [Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Royal Institution](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/person/dame-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock)
2. [Maggie Aderin-Pocock: how a space-obsessed schoolgirl battled the odds to become a top scientist, The Guardian (2014)](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/21/maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-bbc-nasa-space)
3. [Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE appointed Chancellor of the University of Leicester (2023)](https://le.ac.uk/news/2023/march/maggie-aderin-pocock)
4. [Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/maggie-aderin-pocock)
5. [Margaret ADERIN, Order of the British Empire, The Gazette (30 December 2023)](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4519984)
6. [Inspiring Scientists: Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Royal Society](https://royalsociety.org/~/media/policy/projects/leading-the-way/inspiring-scientists/inspiring-scientists-280514.pdf)
7. [Maggie Aderin-Pocock: a career in space, Science in School (2012)](https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/aderin/)
8. [Maggie Aderin-Pocock on diversity, Nature Career Q&A (2024)](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02303-x)
9. [How Science Can Drive Global Solutions, TIME100 Talks (2024)](https://time.com/7177621/london-time100-talk-science-drives-global-solutions/)
10. [Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock interview, The Guardian (2023)](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/29/dr-maggie-aderin-pocock-interview-the-art-of-stargazing)
11. [Barbie Role Models: Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Mattel](https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-role-models-dr-maggie-aderin-pocock)
12. [Maggie Aderin on reaching the stars, Prospect (2026)](https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/people/72433/maggie-aderin-on-reaching-the-stars)
13. [Modern perspectives: Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Royal Society](https://www.royalsociety.org/about-us/who-we-are/diversity-inclusion/case-studies/case-study-aderin-pocock/)
14. [Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Penguin Random House](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2189038/maggie-aderin-pocock/)
15. [Maggie Aderin-Pocock to lead the 2025 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, Royal Institution](https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/maggie-aderin-pocock-lead-epic-voyage-through-time-and-space-2025)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Physical and mathematical scientists › Physicists and astronomers › Researchers in planetary science, exoplanets, and observational astronomy*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license