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In Short
Rachel McCarthy (b.1984) is an award-winning poet, climate scientist, essayist and broadcaster. As former senior climate scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre she specialised in the impacts of climate change, disaster risk reduction and science communication. Her first poetry book, 'Element' (2015), which takes its impetus from the periodic table, was chosen by Carol Ann Duffy as a winner of her Inaugural Laureate's Choice Award. Her one-woman multimedia show 'Alphabet of Our Universe', a socio-historical ride through how the chemical elements have shaped human history and our everyday lives, was chosen by The Guardian as one to watch in 2016, and is currently on tour in the UK and France. In 2017 she was appointed onto the Board of the Poetry and Spoken Word Group of the Society of Authors.
Artistic Biography
In 2015, her first poetry pamphlet 'Element', whose poems take their impetus from how and why chemical elements of the periodic table got their names, was chosen by Carol Ann Duffy as a winner of her Inaugural Laureate's Choice Award, calling it "brilliantly bold". Alice Oswald stated the poems as "Full of tension and symmetry. They are alive. I certainly recommend them."
From 'Element' Rachel developed her one-woman multimedia show 'Alphabet of Our Universe'. Combining science with poetry, story-telling, film and digital-art 'Alphabet of Our Universe' is a socio-historical ride through how the chemical elements have shaped human history and our everyday lives. The show was featured as one to watch in The Guardian in 2016 and is on tour in the UK.
Rachel is former Director of the Exeter Poetry Festival and founder of ExCite Poetry, the Devon arm of the UK Poetry Society. Within six months of its formation ExCite Poetry became the largest regional arm of the Poetry Society by a significant margin, with well over 200 members, and was consequently the focus of a BBC Radio 4 programme with Ruth Padel. Between 2009 and 2013 she co-hosted the monthly arts-review show 'Blah Blah Blah' with Damian Furniss on Phonic FM, hailed by the Sunday Times as "providing some of the most inspiring broadcasting in the country".
From 'Element' Rachel developed her one-woman multimedia show 'Alphabet of Our Universe'. Combining science with poetry, story-telling, film and digital-art 'Alphabet of Our Universe' is a socio-historical ride through how the chemical elements have shaped human history and our everyday lives. The show was featured as one to watch in The Guardian in 2016 and is on tour in the UK.
Rachel is former Director of the Exeter Poetry Festival and founder of ExCite Poetry, the Devon arm of the UK Poetry Society. Within six months of its formation ExCite Poetry became the largest regional arm of the Poetry Society by a significant margin, with well over 200 members, and was consequently the focus of a BBC Radio 4 programme with Ruth Padel. Between 2009 and 2013 she co-hosted the monthly arts-review show 'Blah Blah Blah' with Damian Furniss on Phonic FM, hailed by the Sunday Times as "providing some of the most inspiring broadcasting in the country".
Scientific Biography
Until 2016 Rachel McCarthy (b.1984) worked for the Met Office, one of the world's leading weather and climate research centres. Since joining in early 2008 she rose to become a Senior Scientist in record time, faster than any other early career scientist in the organisation's 160-year history. In 2010 she was chosen to represent the Met Office as the seconded climate science advisor to the then UK Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Her role was to advise their Ministers and Secretaries of State on matters relating to projected climate changes and their impacts, from health to imports, both in the UK and internationally.
Returning to the Met Office in 2012 she worked alongside the Head of the Met Office Hadley Centre, Prof Stephen Belcher, before becoming Private Secretary to the Met Office Chief Scientist, Prof Dame Julia Slingo OBE FRS. In 2014 she became the organisation's first Science Communications Expert.
Since mid-2016 Rachel has been working with large organisations such as the European Commission and charities and charities on matters relating to climate impacts and services, equality and reducing the risk of disasters from a changing climate.
Click to enquire about working together on climate change
Returning to the Met Office in 2012 she worked alongside the Head of the Met Office Hadley Centre, Prof Stephen Belcher, before becoming Private Secretary to the Met Office Chief Scientist, Prof Dame Julia Slingo OBE FRS. In 2014 she became the organisation's first Science Communications Expert.
Since mid-2016 Rachel has been working with large organisations such as the European Commission and charities and charities on matters relating to climate impacts and services, equality and reducing the risk of disasters from a changing climate.
Click to enquire about working together on climate change
Specialist Expertise
- UK and Global projections of Climate Change out to 2100
- Considering extreme events, their likelihoods and communication
- The development of Climate Services, capability development and disaster risk reduction
- The impacts of climate change on human systems
- water security
- energy security
- transport
- imports and exports
- Climate, migration and conflict