Dr. Johanna Howes

Dr Johanna Howes is a Science Communicator working with the Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects (ACE) science area in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

She earned her PhD in Environmental Chemistry in 2015 from the University of Technology Sydney.  She used FTIR Spectroscopy to look at changes in carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in algae on the Great Barrier Reef. In 2016, she completed a Masters of Science Communication from the Australian National University, working alongside Questacon (the National Science and Technology Centre in Canberra) and touring across Australia to perform for thousands of children, young people, and their families. 

Joh has worked as a freelance science writer for popular YouTube channels including SciShow and Veritasium. Her own videos garnered some attention with one being selected as the winner of the 2017 Flame Challenge, a competition by the Alda-Kavli Center for Communicating Science.

Most recently, she joined the team of talented communicators at Science Space in Wollongong; the home of NSW's only Planetarium. She wrote shows, performed for visitors, and mentored and managed a group of young STEM students. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in Australia, her programme of daily live-streams attracted tens of thousands of students from the region, and garnered the attention of a number of national television shows.

Joh hopes to continue to draw on her media and performance experience to provide opportunities and advice for the ACE team, supporting them to share their important work with as many people as possible.