Meet the Academy team
The Moonsighters Academy is organised by an interdisciplinary team incorporating researchers with extensive and relevant experience in impactful public engagement and knowledge exchange.
Professor Esra Özyürek (Project Lead, Cambridge) oversees researchers and professional staff at the Cambridge Interfaith Programme (CIP), a research and engagement centre with over 22 years’ experience in engagement with faith and non-faith audiences. The Moonsighters Academy sits within the CIP ecosystem, receiving support in programme management and communication, in addition to the funded project coordination.
An anthropologist and a Muslim, Özyürek is currently supervising 6 PhD students working on matters relating to Islam in the UK and internationally. She oversees the project, mentoring Imad Ahmed, and bringing to bear CIP’s capacities.
Dr Emma Alexander (Project co-lead & subject matter expert) is an STFC-funded astrophysicist at the University of Leeds and has been involved in hands-on astronomy public engagement for over a decade. Her work building astronomy’s profile within the British Muslim community (with Ahmed) was shared as a good practice case study during the 2023 National Astronomy Meeting.
As an astronomy expert, Emma is the main advisor for the Moonsighters Academy’s astronomy content. She has previously supervised undergraduate research on the visibility of the lunar crescent, with students applying machine learning methods to historical moonsighting data with the aim of improving visibility predictions.
Dr Matthew Bothwell (Project co-lead & subject matter expert) is the University of Cambridge Public Astronomer. An astrophysicist, he studied or researched at Southampton, Harvard, and Arizona, and completed his PhD at Cambridge, returning in 2012 for a postdoctoral position. Since 2017, he has held an outreach role at the Institute of Astronomy, leading public engagement including schools outreach, stargazing evenings, and Cambridge Festival events. He also supports IoA researchers in sharing their work with the public.
Bothwell is an experienced science communicator and writer, and has given public lectures at venues including the Royal Institution, New Scientist, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the British Astronomical Association. His science writing has appeared in New Scientist, The Daily Beast, Aeon magazine, The Guardian, Writer's Digest, etc. Bothwell writes popular astronomy books for both adults and children (e.g., Astrophysics for Supervillains [2024, DK], and The Invisible Universe [2021, Oneworld]). Bothwell will provide subject matter expertise in tandem with Alexander.
Imad Ahmed is one of Özyürek’s PhD supervisees, funded by the Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP (AHRC), with an MPhil in Islamic Studies (Oxford). His research on UK Islamic calendar debates requires extensive community engagement; he runs a WhatsApp Community of 900+ people interested in his research. Before commencing his PhD in 2022, he spent 8 years in the education sector, and 5 years as a community organiser for civic and political organisations. A qualified Secondary School teacher, he also worked as a PGCE Teacher Trainer for Teach First via the UoL Institute of Education.
Ahmed holds a longstanding partnership with the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where he co-delivers the Astronomy and Islam programme (selling more than 11,000 planetarium show tickets). Ahmed is a Muslim Astronomy influencer, running the New Crescent Society social media pages (50k+ followers), celebrating the relationship between faith and astronomy. He has created Islamic astronomy programmes for the National History Museum, Stonehenge, City Hall, and the National Space Centre, and appeared in documentaries on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and on the Islam Channel. He is a judge for the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year Award.
Ahmed leads curriculum design with Alexander & Bothwell, and will oversee modules in civic and community organising, and adult facilitation in community based settings.
Dr Iona Hine is CIP Programme Manager, working closely with Özyürek to catalyse and support interdisciplinary cross-sector partnership work and knowledge exchange including with faith and non-faith communities. Across more than a decade’s diverse postdoctoral commitments, Hine has contributed to collaborative projects worth over £10.6 million, working with scholars in the arts and humanities, social, biological, medical, and physical sciences, and engineering. Hine oversees project coordination, including input from Ahmed and CIP Administrator Anna Williams.
Erin McNeill is the Physics Outreach Officer at Leeds University with over a decade’s experience in public engagement, funding development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strategic partnerships. She recently won funding from the Ogden Trust for the Moon Palace project, a mobile observatory blending astronomy and culture, exemplifying her passion for inclusivity in research and co-production. McNeill is providing logistical support for activity in Leeds, mentorship on community partnerships, and guidance on project evaluation.
Anna Williams is providing additional administrative support. Anna is CIP’s Administrator and will support arrangements for residential and on site course components.
Funder and partners
The Moonsighters Academy is funded by the UKRI Science & Technology Facilities Council (grant UKRI3296) acting in partnership with:
