Martin Griffiths

Martin is an enthusiastic science communicator, lecturer, author and professional astronomer utilizing astronomy, history, culture and science fiction as tools to encourage greater public understanding of science.

He started his academic career as a lecturer in Astronomy for DACE at Swansea University in 1991 before becoming Senior Lecturer in Astronomy at the University of South Wales between 1999 and 2015. Martin is now a retired though he still takes an interest in Dark Sky Wales ans assists them with public observing. He is Director of the Brecon Beacons Observatory and a Dark Sky Ambassador for the Brecon Beacons National Park. Martin is also a steering committee member of the Brecon Beacons International Dark Sky Reserve. In 2019 he was selected by Cunard to be an enrichment programme lecturer for their cruise ship fleet and in 2022 became a renaissance astronomy tour guide in Prague for New Scientist magazine and a consulting astronomer on their Solar Eclipse tours.

Martin was a founder member of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute Science Communication Group and is now a member of the NASA Astrobiology Science Communication Guild. Between 2003 and 2008 he managed a multi-million pound ESF programme in Astrobiology for adult learners across Wales and was also coordinator for ROSCOSMOS Russian Cosmonaut visits to the UK. In addition, Martin has been an adviser to several museum projects on the interface between science and science fiction, including exhibitions on the science of Star Trek and the Science of Aliens.

Martin has written and presented planetarium programmes for key stages 2 and 3 and ran planetarium shows for University of South Wales and Dark Sky Wales. 

He was consultant to the University of Glamorgan computer graphics team on their development of the Alien Worlds multimedia tools, now available free at the iTunesU store which won the Alternative Learning Technologies second prize in 2008. He is also a regular contributor to the online science journal LabLit: the culture of science in fiction and fact.

Martin is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society; a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy; a member of the Astrobiology Society of Britain; a member of the British Astronomical Association; a member of the British Science Association; the Webb Deep-Sky Society; the Society for Popular Astronomy; The Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the Astronomical League. He is also a local representative for the BAA Commission for Dark Skies.

He was a consultant and broadcaster for BBC Wales radio and has appeared on science programmes for the BBC, Einstein TV, Granada TV and the Discovery Channel. He is also a member of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, dedicated to promoting the science, arts and literature of Wales. Martin is also a member of the Welsh Academy, the National Society of writers in Wales

Beside his interest in astronomy Martin also enjoys history, literature, art, photography, walking, traveling, paddle boarding, reading and good red wine.

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You can find out more about my work by visiting my ResearchGate page at:

 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin-Griffiths

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I can also be contacted via LinkedIn at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-griffiths-52369012b/

Awards

Astrobiology Society of Britain Public Engagement Award 2008

Public Outreach Award of the Astronomical League 2010

MENSA Art and Science Participation Medal 2017

Dark Sky Award of the Astronomical League 2020

Observing Awards

Master Observer Award of the Astronomical League 2011

Imaging Award of the Astronomical League 2010

Planetary Nebula Award of the Astronomical League 2010

The Herschel 400 Observing Award 2010