What do academics actually do? What motivates them to get out of bed each morning and to deliver what is — or in many cases what isn’t – expected of them?

For a student setting out, the life of senior academics may seem very mysterious, particularly as many may end up taking on responsibilities and activities far removed from where an individual started. The trajectory from student to senior academic is rarely a straight line, with twists, setbacks, time out and/or opportunities (taken or declined) all to be combined with a personal life.

This series of conversations aims to explore the individual paths of some eminent academics who have made it to the top in their own particular ways. How have they found their own solutions to ‘life’, what tips do they wish they’d been given earlier on, and what might they view, retrospectively, with most pleasure or regret?

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE is a prodigy in every sense of the word. Aged 11, she was the youngest girl ever to pass A-level Computing, and was just 20 years old when she received her Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford.

In 2013, Anne-Marie co-founded Stemettes, an award-winning social initiative dedicated to inspiring and promoting the next generation of young women in the STEM sectors. Since its inception 10 years ago, it has exposed more than 60,000 girls across Europe to her vision for a more diverse and balanced science and tech community.

A recognised and respected thought-leader, Anne-Marie is the temporary Arithmetician on Channel 4’s Countdown, the world’s longest running game show and hosts the highly popular Women Tech Charge podcast. Her latest book ‘She’s In CTRL’ was published by Transworld in September 2022.

Anne-Marie has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Open University, Glasgow Caledonian University, Kent University, Bristol University and Coventry University as well as an Honorary Fellowship at Keble College, Oxford & Visiting Professorship at Sunderland University. In 2017, she was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours for services to young women and STEM sectors.

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