science ceilidh team
Lewis Hou - Director, Science & Communities; Fiddle & Calling
Lewis is passionate about community engagement across the culture and research sector. He is leading on work exploring a more equitable system including through participatory grant making and capacity building with communities directly. He founded Science Ceilidh in 2016 whilst still doing neuroscience research. In his spare time, he is learning gaelic and training in street dance. Follow his learning & other work here.
✉️ lewis@scienceceilidh.com
Alexia Karageorgis - Educational Resource Editor
Alexia works on the development of resources and research. She also helps out at school workshops and joins in for a good ceilidh! With a background in Geography and Science Communication, the rest of the time she can be found exploring Scotland's landscapes or working in libraries across Edinburgh. Or more likely making noise on drums with friends.
✉️ alexia@scienceceilidh.com
Katie Weldon - Project Officer and Coordinator
Katie works on planning, delivering, and coordinating our projects. She also helps with the administrative coordination for Science Ceilidh. She first worked with the team on a placement while studying Science Communication at Edinburgh University then joined the team after graduating. She can typically be found exploring new places and buying books for decorative purposes.
✉️ katie@scienceceilidh.com
Lauren Pyott - Network Coordinator
Lauren works on our networks bringing together communities and researchers across the Highlands and Islands, working on community led action around climate change and mental health and wellbeing. She was the founder and former managing director of Clachworks, a socially inclusive space for making and remaking in Inverness, exploring degrowth and decoloniality.
✉️ lauren@scienceceilidh.com
Freya Taylor - Scotland Fun Palaces Ambassador
Freya is working with Science Ceilidh as one of the Scottish Fun Palace ambassadors. She is particularly passionate about culture and the use of culture to make a difference. From the Black Isle, she is a fiddler and pianist and now based in Glasgow, where she studies Journalism and French.
✉️ freya@scienceceilidh.com
Iris Henzel - Project Officer
Iris works on the delivery and planning of projects, and helps to support our Highlands and Islands networks on community-led research. Coming from a background in neuroscience, she is interested in breaking out of the academic bubble to make knowledge more accessible and collaborative for all. Oh, and also walking her cat.
✉️ iris@scienceceilidh.com
the band
Lewis Williamson Fiddle, Band
With a background in Chemistry & Science Communication, Lewis is a professional fiddle player. When he's not playing in the Science Ceilidh band, he performs with the experimental electro-trad band Yoko Pwno.
Helen Le-Mar Flute & Calling, Band
Helen is a currently a trainee physics & maths teacher and flautist in the Science Ceilidh band. Originally from Orkney, Helen led our Shapinsay Musical Memory project and schools work, whilst working with the maths company SumDog and has represented Great Britain in underwater hockey!
Gary Rafferty Guitar, Band & Sound Tech
With a background in music, Gary is the Science Ceilidh guitarist who looks after the sound engineering and technical side on stage.
past team members
Megan Leishman - Project Officer and Communications
Megan has a particular interest in combining physics and music. Having always had a particular love of whales and dolphins, she worked on a resource with Science Ceilidh combining physics and music as part of her undergraduate degree. Originally from Dunkeld, she plays fiddle whenever and wherever she gets the chance! In her spare time she enjoys skiing, painting and being in the outdoors.
✉️ megan@scienceceilidh.com
Lisa Heywood Schools Coordinator
Lisa is a science communicator, dance caller & dancer by background, having done her initial studies looking a cells, she worked at We The Curious's planetarium & caught the bug for space science and astronomy. She is coordinating our schools programme, including our work exploring science with additional support needs.
Caity Hainsworth Band and Administrative Coordinator
After growing up in Egypt Caity studied maths at Edinburgh University before spending some time teaching in the West of Scotland. After moving back to Edinburgh she started working with Science Ceilidh helping manage the band, coordinate various projects and help with our schools work. She is a fiddle player and singer with EUFolkSoc and loves all kinds of folk dance, especially Scandinavian!
Rebecca Donnelly Resource Development
Rebecca's background is primarily in Engineering with then a postgraduate focus applying this to neuroscience before focusing on Science Communication. She has worked with Edinburgh International Science Festival,and has developed resources both with the Science Ceilidh and her own projects BexScience.
Jaime Amaro-Blanco Public Engagement Assistant and Web Developer, Leith Labs
Jaime is a biologist & science communicator from Galicia (NW Spain) who changed this bagpipe-loving country for the bagpipe-loving Scotland to study his MSc. He joined our Leith Labs project as a volunteer for Explorathon 2018 and has been collaborating with us since then, organising different events and managing Leith Labs' website & social media. He likes design, nature & coffee... he likes coffee a lot
Erica Mason New Scots, Science and Communities
Erica is a public engagement researcher and educator with over 15 years’ experience training teachers and working globally in international development. She has written curricula for ESOL educators and community development officers and has worked closely with rural communities to foster relationships and build capacity between formal and informal networks. Erica has a strong interest in folk traditions and absolutely no skill as a musician, but when pressed can spin a good yarn out of her adventures.
Fergus Halliday Mandolin, Band
Fergus is currently living on Orkney working with Historic Environment Scotland and occasionally plays with the band now when location allows! His interests included gaelic, cultural heritage and boardgames!
Elsa Galbraith - Social Media Officer
Elsa supports with our social media accounts and is currently a geography student at the University of Edinburgh, particularly interested in the links between culture and climate and how creative methods can educate and empower communities to take action. In her spare time she enjoys jamming on the cello and fiddle in sessions, or running in the hills in and around Edinburgh!