Biography:

Dr Siouxsie Wiles describes herself as a microbiologist and bioluminescence enthusiast but to others she is “the owner of the pinkest head of hair you’ll ever see”. Siouxsie heads the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland where she combines her twin passions to understand and combat infectious diseases. In a nutshell, Siouxsie and her team make nasty bacteria glow in the dark. Keen for the world to share her enthusiasms, Siouxsie is a blogger and podcaster and collaborates with the graphic artist Luke Harris and his team to make short animations about the amazing creatures that glow in nature and the myriad uses of bioluminescence in science. In 2013 Siouxsie was awarded the Prime Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize and the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Callaghan Medal for science communication

Presentations:

• Across the Tasman: science communication in New Zealand