the catalyst team

I am a former Head of Languages and linguist by profession, and have been involved with Catalyst since its founding days. Having the opportunity to create an educational offering from the ground up is a privilege. Education is an ancient concept and transporting it into the digital world has been an extraordinary experience.

The team behind CATALYST, a remarkable group of educators, experts and creatives, has developed a unique and unforgettable educational experience for young people. We cannot wait to expand and enhance the strong foundations we laid in July 2022 and look forward to future courses and cohorts.

Whilst studying at the University of Cambridge I developed a passion for interdisciplinary learning. Having worked for many years as an academic tutor and higher education consultant, I returned to the University of Oxford to study Educational Assessment, with a view to designing curricula and assessments that reflect the latest in educational research.

I am excited to be working as a consultant to CATALYST to promote the design of programmes that are challenging, inspiring and international in approach. I hope that future CATALYST cohorts develop an informed curiosity and a lasting love of learning, whilst gaining the essential skills they need for success at university and in their future careers.

I have the pleasure of serving as the Bursar at Winchester College, having previously worked across management consulting with McKinsey, financial services with Deutsche Bank, and the Ministry of Defence… among other past lives!

At school, the teachers who inspired me most were those who could bring their subjects to life and make them relevant by applying them to the contemporary world and the issues of tomorrow; teachers who could not only share their knowledge but give me the tools to problem-solve, collaborate and challenge convention.

Through my involvement with CATALYST, I am excited to have the chance to inspire others in the same way.

I am a glaciologist by training, with passion and expertise in decarbonisation. After my Ph.D. years spent researching how glaciers move with the use of subglacial probes, dGPS, geotechnical experimentation, X-ray CT and UAV based photogrammetry, I found my way to the classroom.
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I believe strongly that teachers have a moral imperative to cultivate the necessary social change amongst students and prepare them appropriately for the impacts of the climate emergency. One of the aspects that drew me to teach at Winchester College and CATALYST was the opportunity to work with brilliant people across the community of students and staff.

I am a philosopher by training, driven and inspired by philosophy, theology and religious studies. I’m incredibly excited and proud to be involved with CATALYST, encouraging students to explore philosophical questions about themselves, their relationships with others, and with the world.

I believe that philosophy has the power to change us for the better, and I think we need a radical shift in terms of how we approach both perennial issues and those that are current social and environmental. Through education, I believe that CATALYST may well be part of this shift.

Following my graduation from the London School of Economics, I embarked on a professional journey that saw me work across healthcare, food supply chains, and sustainability. I’m a tech fanatic at heart, increasingly obsessed with designing memorable tech-enabled experiences in sectors that are otherwise typically thought of as tech-resistant.

Alongside working with students, applying problem solving strategies inspired by design and product-led thinking, I spend my time reimagining the way that education is created and consumed in a digitally-native way. In my free time, I’m also IT support for our students!

I'm a 19-year-old youth voice and climate activist. I’m especially curious as to how our generation will work together to capitalise on the unique skill sets prevalent amongst youth to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society today. Joining CATALYST as a mentor, and extending my time with the team as a Gap Year Fellow, was an easy choice.

Not only do I love supporting peers on their change-making journeys, but am I also passionate about how education can help young people see beyond current horizons… exploring what can be, rather than teaching what is.

I’m a big believer in the fact that solving world issues requires multi-sector cooperation: NGO’s, corporations, and businesses all need a seat at the table. Instilling the next generation of leaders with the competencies to collaborate, think critically, and be creative is therefore vital to innovating, developing, and implementing the solutions our world needs.

In this exact spirit, I joined the CATALYST team to help equip future leaders with the necessary tools and resources to create change. Prior to joining the team I enjoyed a few years with Lego Ventures, Lego’s venture capital arm, and completed my MBA at Oxford University’s Said Business School.

I spent the majority of my time before CATALYST working in the education startup ecosystem, where I saw firsthand the power that education has to unlock societal change. But my journey didn’t start in education. Post-university I worked in luxury hospitality.

Suffice to say, you’d be surprised how much similarity there is between the two worlds more than anything, the importance of obsessing over providing consistent, reliable high quality service! I’m thrilled to be working with the CATALYST team to develop new and exciting partnerships, and to support students with onboarding and admissions to our programmes.

I've joined CATALYST from the startup sector, where I helped build a new registered provider of interdisciplinary education at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional level.

My BA and MSc degrees from UCL and LSE span philosophy, logic, and scientific method — so perhaps it’s no surprise that I’m hugely in favour of a broad education that enables students to make exciting connections between different subjects, with tangible applications to the real-world.

I am also passionate about solving for educational disadvantages, having spent a number of years volunteering for UCLH Hospital Schools based at UCLH, the Macmillan Cancer Centre, and Great Ormond Street.