Richardson, Dr Harriett

Communications Manager

Address

University of Leeds

Fairbairn House

71-75 Clarendon Road

Leeds

LS2 9PH

 
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6215-8442
email
+44 113 343 4212  
email

I'm a communications specialist with a passion for bringing science and society together. 

 I manage the Communications Team at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), ensuring communications run through all our work as a world-leader in atmospheric research and innovation.

NCAS is a source of independent information on climate change, air pollution, and weather hazards. The Communications Team is committed to fostering excellent engagement across our organisation’s science and services, and finding and refining ways to present our research.

I take a lead on communications strategy, visual identity, our digital engagement via websites and social media, news and explainer articles, marketing campaigns for training courses and events, engagement with staff, and sharing best practices.

I enjoy interpreting expert knowledge and practices, to ensure conversations and decisions about environmental change are rooted in robust evidence. I’m passionate about supporting people to communicate in effective ways, communicating in accessible and inclusive ways, and reflecting the diversity of people, roles, and ideas within and beyond science e.g. by working with the arts.

I’m a dynamic facilitator, a driving force for collaborations, and an advocate for putting people and society at the heart of science stories.


 

 

Picture of Dr Harriett Richardson

Publications

  • Hawkins Ed; Burt Stephen; Brohan Philip; Lockwood Michael; Richardson Harriett; Roy Marjory; Thomas Simon; Hourly weather observations from the Scottish Highlands (1883–1904) rescued by volunteer citizen scientists. Geoscience Data Journal, 6 (2) , 160--173, [doi:10.1002/gdj3.79] Aug 2019

Engagements

  • The Air We Share was a NERC funded public engagement project (£20,000 grant). Over three weekends in February 2017, a team of researchers and the NCAS Communications Team visited York, Leeds and Bradford as part of their air quality roadshow. The Air We Share team set up a mobile air quality monitoring lab and information stand in city centre locations, and ran public-friendly evening talks about air quality in local pubs and art galleries. We also conducted an 'attitudes to air qaulity survey' which had 780 respondents. In total, 350 visitors visited the roadshow stand or evening events. Follow up meetings with York, Leeds and Bradford councils allowed us to share the results of the survey and offer advice based on the engagement methods we used. This work led us to participate in the first National Clean Air Day. As part of The Air We Share, Zoe Fleming (NCAS researcher at Leicester University) was interviewed by the BBC. , February 2017
  • Representatives from NCAS, FAAM, AMF and CEDA exhibited at the Meteorological Technology World Expo in Amsterdam. We were part of 200 exhibiting companies and organisations and the 3-day event, where 4000 people attended. We spoke to weather and climate related manufacturers, service providers and scientists about the work we deliver via our facilities., October 2017
  • The NCAS Communications team delivered National Clean Air Day information at a stand on the University of Leeds campus. We gave advice about the individual actions that people can take to reduce air pollution and their exposure to it. , June 2017
  • The NCAS Communications Team supported the UKESM project to design and deliver 'A Model Earth' at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition. We developed an exhibition stand, information sheets and delivered training for UKESM staff to prepare them for engaging with members of the public and schoolchildren. The exhibition was attended by over 14,000 members of the public, including 2,500 school students. , July 2017
  • Operation Weather Rescue is a citizen science project to digitise lost weather measurements from over 100 years ago. Over 3,700 volunteers have rescued 177,504 hours of weather data from the historic Ben Nevis Observatory so far, and more are continuing to digitise further records. This project is led by Ed Hawkins (NCAS Climate) and Harriett Richardson (NCAS Comms) and has strengthened our partnership with RMetS via Marjory Roy. Operation Weather Rescue results were displayed at NERC's UnEarthed event in Edinburgh (November 2017). , September 2017
  • The NCAS Communications Team, Ed Hawkins (NCAS Climate), Lindsay Bennet (NCAS Weather) and volunteers from Edinburgh and Reading universities delivered an exhibition stand about Operation Weather Rescue at NERC's UnEarthed environmental showcase (free to attend) event at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh. 7000 attendees came to the 4-day long event. The NCAS Comms Team designed the exhibition stand, developed engaging animations with the OWR data, created 'make your own weather instruments' activities and installed an outdoor data display of temperature change since the industrial revolution in Scotland. , November 2017
  • 'The Climate Communication Project' is one of six projects funded (awarded £100k) by NERC as part of their Engaging Environments call. This climate engagement project, funded for 1 year, is managed and evaluated by the NCAS Communications Team. Ed Hawkins (NCAS Climate) is also a named project partner. Other project team members are from Climate Outreach, British Antarctic Survey, 10:10, National Centre for Earth Observation, Priestley International Centre for Climate, Royal Meteorological Society, Manchester Metropolitan University and Cardiff University. The project aims to audit methods used and build national capacity in climate engagement. , November 2017