Quentin Cooper
Encyclopedia
Quentin Cooper is a science
journalist
and current presenter of The Material World
on Thursday afternoons and Connect on BBC Radio 4
less frequently on Wednesday nights. He also speaks at science festivals and lectures, and works regularly with science and educational organisations such as the Royal Society
and the British Council
.
in Psychology
and Artificial Intelligence
at the University of Edinburgh
. His Scottish education prompted him to join BBC Scotland
.
(in Glasgow), and Radio 5
in Manchester where he created programmes such as Hit The North. He also presented The Big Byte, a programme on Sunday lunchtimes on its successor Five Live
from 1997.
From 1993, before the 1998 re-organisation of Radio 4, he often presented the 45-minute-long arts programme Kaleidoscope, as well as The Message on Radio 3
. On Radio 4 he also presented a one-off science series called Catalyst (in 1997), the computer phone-in series Logged On (distant forerunner of Click On - the radio version of Click
) in 1999, and the arts-based Talking Pictures in 1998. He began on Connect in April 1998 and on The Material World in October 1999. Connect has not been broadcast since 2007.
, Buckinghamshire
. His wife works for Cape Farewell, UK
, an organisation that brings together artists and scientists.
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and current presenter of The Material World
Material World (radio programme)
Material World is a weekly science magazine programme on BBC Radio 4 on a Thursday afternoon, presented by Quentin Cooper with contributions from scientists researching areas under discussion in each programme.-History:...
on Thursday afternoons and Connect on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
less frequently on Wednesday nights. He also speaks at science festivals and lectures, and works regularly with science and educational organisations such as the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
and the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
.
Early life
He attended a comprehensive school in Grimsby. He studied for a BScBachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. His Scottish education prompted him to join BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
.
Publications
In October 1994, he wrote a book with Paul Sullivan, an old schoolfriend from Grimsby, called Maypoles, Martyrs, and Mayhem: 366 days of British customs, myths and eccentricities about superstitions (ISBN 978-0747518075).Radio
At the BBC, he started as a producer in News and Current Affairs, then moved to produce youth programmes at Radio ScotlandBBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
(in Glasgow), and Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
in Manchester where he created programmes such as Hit The North. He also presented The Big Byte, a programme on Sunday lunchtimes on its successor Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
from 1997.
From 1993, before the 1998 re-organisation of Radio 4, he often presented the 45-minute-long arts programme Kaleidoscope, as well as The Message on Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
. On Radio 4 he also presented a one-off science series called Catalyst (in 1997), the computer phone-in series Logged On (distant forerunner of Click On - the radio version of Click
Click (TV series)
Click is a weekly BBC television programme covering news and recent developments in the world of consumer technology, presented by Spencer Kelly....
) in 1999, and the arts-based Talking Pictures in 1998. He began on Connect in April 1998 and on The Material World in October 1999. Connect has not been broadcast since 2007.
Personal life
On 26 September 2009, he married Suba Subramaniam at St Dunstan's church in Monks RisboroughMonks Risborough
Monks Risborough is a village and ecclesiastical parish in Buckinghamshire, England, lying between Princes Risborough and Great Kimble. The village lies at the foot of the northern scarp of the Chiltern Hills...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. His wife works for Cape Farewell, UK
Cape Farewell, UK
Cape Farewell brings artists, scientists and communicators together to bring about long-term change in cultural attitudes towards climate change....
, an organisation that brings together artists and scientists.
External links
- Radio 4 profile
- BBC Radio 4's Material World (with audio archive of programmes)
- Connect
- Connect archive
- Interview with Quentin Cooper
- IMDb
- His father
Video clips
- Presenting at the 2007 Cheltenham Festival of Science
- The Noughties - was that it? (BBC3) November 2009