Kathryn Woods-townsend MSc, PhD

Dr. Kathryn Woods-Townsend is the LifeLab Programme Manager at Southampton Education School at the University of Southampton. Kathryn previously had a successful career as a research scientist with a degree in Genetics & Microbiology (Leeds Uni 1994), and an MSc and Ph.D. in Human Genetics (Newcastle Uni 1999), with papers published in high-impact journals such as JCI, Nature Genetics, and Am J Hum Genetics. She then retrained as a secondary school teacher, which consolidated her interest in Science, Scientific Education, and Scientific literacy.

She has developed an understanding of the importance of effective and stimulating science education from an early age so that school children develop their powers of scientific thinking and have some insight into the broader scientific context in which the national curriculum for science is situated. She is the program manager for Southampton's innovative LifeLab initiative which aims to promote the scientific basis of lifelong health in school children and their families.