Contact us

If you would like to book/request an event or activity or would like more information about the project please contact our organisers at the address below

Bavishna Balogopal
Claire Mitchell
Helen Rendall
Email: info@seeinglife.org
Tel: +44 (0) 1334 461656

School of Physics and Astronomy
University of St Andrews
North Haugh
St Andrews
Fife KY16 9SS

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The Team

'Seeing Life Through A New Light' is a public engagement project developed and managed through its first three years by Claire Patterson and Andrew McKinley; its continued running is now carried out by PhD students within the group.

Kishan
The partnership for public engagement (PPE) grant is held by Kishan Dholakia who is a Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews. As the head of Optical Manupulation research activities, his research interests cover pretty much everything related to optics. This PPE project builds on the success of his previous Partnership for Public Awareness (PPA) award 'Tripping the light fantastic', which was also funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).




Claire PattersonAndrew McKinley and the Light Rope

The first year of the project was run and managed by Claire Patterson, a physicist and science communicator. Throughout 2008, Claire worked in the Optical Trapping research group and organised the development and delivery of events and activities to a wide range of audiences.
Andrew McKinley, a chemist with extensive experience in the use of light in spectroscopic techniques, took over the running of Seeing Life in January 2009 to its formal conclusion in April 2010. He continued to run the project alongside research activities until April 2011.



Other members of our team include PhD students and research staff from the Optical Trapping group and other research groups in the School of Physics and Astronomy.

Visit our events page to see where our team has been and will be next.

Optical Manipulation at St Andrews

Like many scientific research groups, members span across the globe from Scotland, to the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Ireland, Singapore, the United States of America, Japan, South Africa, China, Philippines.....

Read more about the Optical Manipulation group members and their research.

Read more about other research in the School of Physics and Astronomy


Fifex logo
FifeX is a company based just outside St Andrews which specialises in the design and manufacture of high quality, interactive, scientific exhibits.

The previous Partnership for Public Understanding (PPA) project 'Tripping the light fantastic' was developed and delivered in conjunction with Fifex.

Fifex have developed several new interactive exhibits for the 'Seeing life through a new light' project.