Shelley is a passionate science communicator who began a career as a freelance science writer during her academic studies. She has a B.Sc. in Forensic Anthropology from Liverpool John Moores University and M.Sc. in Paleoanthropology from the University of Liverpool. Her Ph.D project, also based at the University of Liverpool, is in the field of human evolution. The study compares human and primate skeletal anatomy to enhance methods for estimating body mass dimorphism in our early ancestors.
This work has implications for understanding the separate biomechanical restrictions in male and female skeletons. Shelley completed a three-month fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. where she collected data for her Ph.D project and volunteered her help with their recent initiative to tour an exhibit of evolution across the U.S.
Shelley has specialist knowledge of anatomy, specifically human osteology, but has also worked on a wide range of topics including forensic science, biochemistry and genetics. In the last few years Shelley has presented her work at multiple conferences and enjoys any opportunity to discuss the latest findings and advances with colleagues in her field.
During her studies, Shelley volunteered at an organisation focused on promoting women in science and technology. Her main role involved communicating science to the public at festivals in an engaging manner. This opportunity turned into a passion for science communication and the ability to explain research to a wide audience made up of children and adults with various levels of scientific knowledge.
A particular area of pride is her work with children at a local museum, motivating engagement with science topics outside the classroom. Shelley was encouraged to begin writing a science blog that was engaging to non-specialists and it is through this that she began her career as a freelance science writer. Early work was produced for academic funding bodies and included developing content for the educational sector. Her current work involves writing articles and blog posts that cover a wide range of life science topics.
Shelley enjoys utilizing her breadth of knowledge with each new writing commission and aims to continue writing accurate works of science communication for a wide audience. Along with work published on NewsMedical, Shelley has also produced content for AZoNano explaining biomedical applications of nanotechnology. Outside of her work as a science writer, Shelley can be found wandering her home city of Manchester. She particularly enjoys reading, travelling and going on long dog walks in the countryside.