Science & Psychology
Black Holes by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw published today
06/10/2022
Northbank Speakers
Northbank Creators
Dr Tim Gregory works full-time as a nuclear chemist in the heart of the British nuclear industry. He spends his work days in the lab measuring the chemistry and radioactivity of nuclear materials. His work takes him to the forefront of nuclear energy, net zero and nuclear medicine.
His love for science shines through in his day job, public speaking, and media activities.
Tim’s background is in academia. After completing a PhD at the University of Bristol researching the formation of the Solar System using meteorites, Tim became a postdoctoral researcher at the British Geological Survey in Nottingham. His background on the cutting edge of academic research prepared him perfectly for his sideways career step into the nuclear industry.
In 2020, Tim’s debut book – Meteorite: How Stones from Outer Space Made Our World — was published by John Murray to critical acclaim.
In 2017, Tim surpassed thousands of applicants for a place in the six-part BBC2 series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?, where he was put through the full rigours of astronaut selection and reached the final three.
Since then, he has gone on to present a segment about meteorites on BBC4’s The Sky at Night and has made live television appearances on BBC Breakfast, BBC Look North, and BBC Points West. He frequently features on local and national radio to talk about events in the world of space, science, and nuclear.
Tim loves nothing more than sharing his love of science and the wonders of the natural world. He frequently speaks to audiences of all sizes and ages on topics including nuclear science, chemistry, planetary science, and the importance of science in society. His enthusiasm is infectious and his deep knowledge shines through.
Originally from West Yorkshire (and with the accent to prove it), Tim completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Manchester where he achieved a first class with honours in Geology with Planetary Science (MEarthSci). He discovered his love for cosmochemistry during a ten-week internship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he investigated the history of water-rich asteroids.
When he is not in the lab, Tim is either outside enjoying the Cumbrian mountains, or inside reading, writing or playing his guitar.
Media & Coverage
Links & Credits
Move over Brian Cox? Meet Tim Gregory, TV's rising science star
The Telegraph
‘Meteorite’ Review: We Are Stardust
The Wall Street Journal
Three New Books That Stare Up at the Stars
The New York Times Book Review
Meteorites: ‘a story written across light years down the barrel of a microscope’
Nature
Tim Gregory talks to Stephen Fry about the Leonid meteor shower
BBC Radio 4
'Astronaut Tim Gregory inspires pupils with talk of stars, science and meteorites'
Examiner Live
'Budding astronaut Tim prepares for lift-off'
Press
'Bristol student to chase astronaut dream on new BBC TV show'
Bristol Post
Books
Meteorite: The Stones from Outer Space that Made our World
Dr Tim Gregory
Meteorite: The Stones from Outer Space that Made our World, is an exhilarating journey into the past, present and future of our planet. In this book, Tim uses fragments of rock to give an insight not only into the Earth’s earliest origins, but also its possible future.
Every rock has a story tell, and none more so than those which have fallen from the sky: meteorites. Originating in the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, these rocky fragments offer clues not just to the earliest origins of the Solar System but also to Earth’s very survival into the future.
Meteorite takes us on a journey through the very earliest days of our Solar System, to the spectacular meteorite falls that produced ‘fiery rain’ in 1792, to the pre-solar grains (literally stardust) that were blown in from other solar systems and are the oldest solid objects ever discovered on earth.
Meteorites reveal a story much bigger than ourselves or our planet. As Tim says, ‘it is an epic beyond compare’.
Tim Gregory gets it… he brings a childlike wonder of discovery to everything he sees… His scientific delight is contagious.
— Chris Hadfield, Astronaut
A captivating blend of painstaking detective work and dramatic cosmic events. The impact that rocks from space have had on our culture, and on our knowledge of where we come from may surprise you.
— Jon Butterworth, Professor of Physics at UCL and author of Smashing Physics
