Niamh Shaw
Niamh Shaw is an Irish award-winning STEM communicator, scientist, engineer, writer and performer who has set herself a life mission to get to space. Passionate about igniting peoples curiosity, space explorer Niamh Shaw combines her degrees in engineering, her science PhD, performance & communication to create theatre, public events, workshops and lectures to share the human story of science and space. Shaw is one of Ireland’s leading science communicators and is the 2019/2020 Honorary Ambassador for the Irish Girl Guides in recognition of the trail she has blazed for girls and women in Ireland. Her first book, 'Dream Big- an Irishwoman's Space Odyssey' published by Mercier Press tells the story of her 40 year quest to confront a childhood dream, to make the impossible possible by walking slowly forward to space, one step at a time.
Early life and education
Niamh Shaw graduated from University College Dublin in 1990 with a BE in Mechanical Engineering, focusing on Biosystems Engineering, Masters in Biosystems Engineering in 1995 and PhD in Food Science in 2001.From 2001–2003 Niamh Shaw was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Food Science and Technology in University College Dublin
In 2015, Niamh Shaw participated in the International Space University Space Studies Programme.
Acting career
In 2003, Niamh Shaw turned to performing and acting. Niamh Shaw has appeared in TV and movies. In 2007-2008 she appeared as Frances McGuigan in Fair City, and as Mable Mills in the movie Dorothy Mills. She also appeared in "Satellites & Meteorites", "A Shine of Rainbows", "Hideaways", "", "You're Ugly Too".Niamh Shaw is a regular contributor to national radio and press in science and technology-related topics, and a regular contributor to Sky at Night astronomy magazine. As an improv comedian, she has performed with The Craic Pack Comedy Improv, The Cardinals, Snatch Comedy, Cork, and The Second City, Los Angeles.
Science communicator
Niamh Shaw has been combining her scientific knowledge, improvisation and performance skills to inspire and communicate science to the public.In 2011, Niamh Shaw created her first theatre show "That’s About the Size of It". During the making of the show, she was invited by arts initiative at CERN to discuss her ideas about STEM and public engagement with particle physicists at the facility. The show toured from 2011 to 2013.
Other science-related shows include 'Baking in Space', Art in Mind, Irish Astronauts of 1991, My Place in Space and Memory of Place.
Her science art performance,’To Space’, was funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland in association with CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory Cork and European Space Agency, about her dream to get to the International Space Station, sharing her own mission with the astronaut crew onboard. The show has toured in Europe and Australia between 2014-2016, including Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Edinburgh International Science Festival, and Cheltenham Science Festival.
During ISU SSP 2015, she co-created a short documentary, ‘DREAM BIG’ about inspiring the next generation to dream big.
From 2014 to 2019, Niamh Shaw was artist in residence at CIT BlackRock Castle Observatory in Cork, Ireland.
Niamh Shaw is a co-founder of STEAMakers a global initiative with her fellow SSP15 alumni, to create a global community and inspire the next generation to consider careers in STEM. Niamh Shaw has presented scientific papers on the collaborative nature of her work between technology, science & art. Niamh Shaw is a regular speaker at STEM events to promote ‘Women in STEM’ science outreach. In 2014, she has participated in TEDxUCD.
Niamh Shaw has been contributing to the International Space University Space Studies Programme since 2016, as a lecturer in 2016, Core lecture co-chair in 2017, and the co-chair for the Humanities Department in 2018.
Since 2014, Niamh has set herself a life’s mission to get to space as artist and citizen, rather than astronaut.. Niamh Shaw's journey to space thus far is documented in detail on her website from particle physics and her first engineering job to becoming Artist in Residence at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory through attending the International Space University’s annual Space Studies Programme in Ohio in partnership with NASA, through a scholarship that ESA awarded her, further to a simulated Mars mission and a Zero Gravity flight in Star City in Moscow in August 2017 where she visited the Cosmonaut Training Facility. More recently, Niamh Shaw travelled to NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas to speak at their annual Cross Industry Innovation Summit.
Speaker / Lecturer
Niamh Shaw has spoken at conferences, summits and TEDx events including WIRED UK, New Scientist Live and at NASA Johnson Innovation Summit. On March 9th 2019, she spoke at Áras an Uachtarain, in response to President Higgins ’Women in STEM’ speech at a special reception to celebrate International Women’s Day. Since completing the Space Studies Programme in 2015, Niamh Shaw has been involved in lecturing on communications and arts content at the same programme in 2016, 2017 & 2018.Performer / Writer / Artist
Niamh has over 15 years experience in live performance and media. Her last theatre project ‘Diary of a Martian Beekeeper’, premiered at Space week 2017, followed by a limited run in 2018 and gained excellent theatre reviews. The show was funded under Science Foundation Ireland’s 2017 Discover programme, working with ESA’s Astronaut Centre, to capture the massive group effort behind human space exploration. Her second STEAM show, To Space, toured internationally including Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Edinburgh International Science Festival, and Cheltenham Science Festival supported by Culture Ireland, and the Arts Council of Ireland. The show was made in partnership with European Space Agency, Science Foundation Ireland and CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory. She has presented academic aspects of her work in STEAM at scientific conferences including CAP 2018, the International Astronautical Congress, European Geosciences Assembly, and European Planetary Sciences Congress. Her other work in science art & technology and public engagement includes Memory of Place, ’To Space’, Dream Big ‘Speaking with Plants’, That’s About The Size Of It, Boys of Foley Street. Her work has been supported by the European Space Agency, Science Foundation Ireland, The Arts Council of Ireland, Arts@CERN, Show in A Bag, Dublin City Council Drama Bursary, and is an alumnus of MAKE, The SPACE Programme, The Festival of Curiosity Residency, and The Robert Wilson Watermill International Spring Residency, New York.Analog Mars Missions
In 2017, she was part of Crew 173 in a simulated Mars mission at the Mars Desert Research Station in southern Utah, as the artist and journalist for an international crew of six.After MDRS-173, she experienced zero-g flight at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City.
In 2018, Niamh Shaw was an advisor and artist at a new analogue Mars facility, D-MARS located in the Ramon Crater, Israel, and documented their first analog mission D-MARS01.
Niamh Shaw's outreach is also in cooperation with Lottie Dolls. She has worked together with Lottie dolls to create a workshop for young girls, combining drama and space exploration. She has brought along Stargazer Lottie to her Mars Analog mission experiences, both in Utah and Israel, as well as bringing the doll to the zero-g flight in Russia.
Based on her Mars Analog experiences, Niamh Shaw joined with Sarah Baxter to create Niamh Shaw's third theater show "Diary of a Martian Beekeeper". In the show, Niamh Shaw is on Mars and a member of Crew 173, on a long duration mission to investigate new ways of growing food, and especially making honey on Mars. At the end of a two year mission, one crucial experiment remains for Niamh Shaw to perform, while she is struggling with personal issues. The show was funded under SFI's 2017 Discover programme and created with ESA’s Astronaut Centre in Cologne. Diary of a Martian Beekeeper was presented at Space Week 201 and during Engineers Week 2018.