Team Faulkes Telescope

Image	Name	Biography
	Paul Roche Project Director	Paul is Director of the Faulkes Telescopes Project, and is the longest-serving member of the team, having started in early 2000 whilst Head of Education at the National Space Centre, Leicester. He is also the UK National Schools' Astronomer (funded by PPARC), working all over the country with school groups, teachers, universities and amateur astronomers. Paul still dabbles in research, mainly working in the field of X-ray binaries and hot stars. He was previously a Lecturer in Astronomy at the Univ. of Sussex and a research fellow at Southampton Univ. (where he gained his PhD in 1992). In his spare time he teaches martial arts in the South Wales valleys and tries to keep up with his kids.
	Edward Gomez Honorary Education Fellow	I took up this post with the Faulkes Telescope Project in September 2004 after a brief spell in the manufacturing industry. I have a PhD in astronomy and was active in astronomy research for 5 year, doing simulations of unstable stellar winds. I am now employed by Las Cumbres Observatory (LCOGT) and liaise with the Faulkes Telescope team on operations. My role now is to liaise with European educationalists who would like to work with LCOGT and support education programmes in their own countries.
	Sarah Roberts Director of Education	Sarah started work with the Faulkes Telescope project in January 2005 after completing her PhD in Astronomy, which involved looking for dwarf galaxies in different parts of the Universe. Sarah's duties for Faulkes include the development, organisation and delivery of user training, aimed at introducing users to robotic telescopes in the National Curriculum and developing educational resources (both web and paper-based) to help teachers and students with astronomy education. This includes the development of astronomical research-based projects which students in school can partake in. Sarah also helps support telescope users with any problems or queries they may have and promotes the Faulkes Telescope Project both in the UK and abroad.
	Alison Tripp Project Administrator	Alison started work for the FT Project in November 2006 as the Project Administrator. However, Alison has been working with FT team members for much longer than that as she previously worked in the Physics & Astronomy School Office at Cardiff University where the project is based. Alison has also worked in the University Business School and has extensive experience working in educational environments having worked in schools as an assistant teacher and as a swimming instructor in a local Club. Before working at the Buisness School she was chased down the corridor by R2D2, when she worked as a prosthetics technician on "Return of the Jedi', after she called him a stupid dustbin (she has the scars to prove it).
	Jon Yardley Software & Multimedia Developer	Jon has been involved with the project since 2004. After a succesful work experience he began full time work from January 2006. In September 2007 Jon began full time undergraduate study in Music at Cardiff University. Jon still works part time for the project mainly working on software, multimedia and web development.
	Haley Gomez Honourary Fellow	Haley is currently a lecturer at Cardiff University, School of Physics and Astronomy. She obtained her PhD at Cardiff University in late 2004 and has carried on in her study of the origin of cosmic dust, particularly in supernovae remnants. She enjoys being involved with the public understanding of science as well as lecturing undergraduates.
	Fraser Lewis Support Astronomer	Fraser has been working with FT since December 2004, and has completed his degree in Physical Science with the Open University in 2005. He is now working full-time for FT, and studying for a PhD with Paul Roche and Simon Clark (at the OU). Before working at Faulkes, he was a lighting technician/designer and stage manager, working with a variety of bands and theatre groups at venues throughout UK and Europe. He has frequently been confused with the brother of the guitarist in Tears for Fears, and once accidentally stole Mick Hucknall's bike. Fraser has recently taken up playing ice hockey after a five year break, and relishes the opportunity to hit Vanessa with a stick whenever possible.
	Vanessa Stroud Support Astronomer	Vanessa is an OU PhD student (in Binary stars), with Paul Roche and Simon Clark as her supervisors. She completed her Astrophysics degree at Cardiff University in 2006; her 3rd and 4th year projects were on open clusters with the FT. She assists with the educational side of the project on teacher training courses. Vanessa comes from sunny South America, is an enthusiastic ice-hockey player and enjoys photography.