Professor Suzie Imber

Suzie Imber first achieved international recognition when she won the BBC2 TV series ‘Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?’.  In the series, 12 candidates undertook astronaut training under the direction of  astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield. They faced a range of challenges including taking their own blood, speaking Russian while in a centrifuge at 5g, and carrying out emergency procedures on the NASA undersea astronaut training facility, Aquarius. Suzie was declared the winner and received a letter of recommendation from Chris Hadfield to support her application to the European Space Agency astronaut training programme.  Suzie is Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Leicester, specialising in studying space weather at the Earth and on Mercury. She focusses on the interaction of planetary magnetic fields with the solar wind, and is a co-Investigator on BepiColombo spacecraft, due to arrive at the planet Mercury in 2026.  Suzie is one of three authors of a Royal Society Futures Report Space: 2075 looking at space exploration, in-orbit and off-planet manufacturing and resource exploitation, technology development, and scientific advancements. The Report was published in 2025.  Her Inaugural Professorial Lecture (Leicester University:13 March 2024) was entitled “Adventures in Velocity Space”. Suzie dedicates much time to widening opportunities for disadvantaged young people to study science, activities and residential programmes, personally visiting schools and students, and founding a scholarship programme.  Pre-covid, Suzie was selected for Homeward Bound, the global leadership programme to train 100 women to become the next generation of leaders in the fight against climate change. Culminating in a 3-week voyage to Antarctica in November 2023 the programme included leadership style and mentality, effective communication, building teams, personal and organisational strategy, mental health, and wellbeing. The voyage to Antarctica ignited a focus on research culture and effective leadership that Suzie puts into practice in her professional and personal roles. A highly experienced high-altitude mountaineer, Suzie wrote the supercomputer code to identify previously unknown mountains in the Andes, then went to climb them, and name them after local Andean people and places. With extensive experience of speaking at live stage events, including music and science festivals, she has performed at “Space Shambles” at the Royal Albert Hall, London, alongside Professor Brian Cox, Robin Ince, astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield, and Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart. Suzie has been on the main stage to give speeches at leading science festivals, including BlueDot, Gravity Fields, Farnborough Air Show, New Scientist Live, Latitude, AstroFest, SpaceRocks and the Virgin Galactic Space Festival. One of her most-requested speeches describes her journey combining elite sport, space science, identifying and climbing unclimbed mountains, and training to be an astronaut. It is entertaining, inspirational and offers the audience the opportunity to reflect on their own sources of motivation and enthusiasm.  In Conversation with Tim Peake Suzie was invited to host 'In Conversation with Tim Peake', for the launch of his 2020 autobiography. This 45-minute event was held in the Science Museum in London, live-streamed to an extensive audience world-wide, followed by a live Q&A. The Conversation and Q&A were short-listed for a media award. TV and Radio experience Completely at ease delivering material to camera, being interviewed, and interviewing others live on radio or TV, Suzie’s TV and media work includes: Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes? BBC2 television competition series involving five weeks of filming, presented by Commander Chris Hadfield, Dr Kevin Fong, and Dr Iya Whitely. The Sky at Night: Storms on Mercury (BBC4). Secret Cities (Bigger Bang Productions). BBC News and Sky news live television interviews about important international space matters. Live radio interviews for regional, national, and international radio stations. Many podcast appearances, as host, panellist, principal guest and interviewee. Other things to know about Suzie Imber England U21 lacrosse player, elite rower (sculling and sweep rowing), and high-altitude mountaineer.  As a high-altitude mountaineer, she climbed technical peaks in the Andes, Alaska, and the Himalayas. She wrote the computer code to generate the first objective list of mountains in South America: in that way, she discovered hundreds of un-named mountains. She enjoys scaling these remote, unclimbed mountains, exploring new regions of our planet and she even discovered Incan ruins on the summits, proving that the Inca people were there a long time before…... She advises organisations on their outreach and community engagement programmes, including Leicester City Football Club.  She founded the Williams-Virgin Galactic scholarship programme in 2020 to support disadvantaged young people studying physics, providing mentoring and support throughout their studies. She is a member of Edale Mountain Rescue, using her mountaineering skills to rescue casualties in inaccessible regions of the Peak District. Caring passionately about environmental issues, and in particular the preservation of rare and endangered species, Suzie rescued an ancient English apple orchard, discovering and cultivating rare apple varieties. She spent several years volunteering at a local Rescue Centre, caring for abandoned dogs. Suzie’s hobbies include running, rock climbing, rowing, road cycling, baking, and wushu Kung Fu (non-contact martial art). During covid lockdown, she learned carpentry, practised yoga, and cultivated a huge vegetable plot. Academic Work Experience Professor of Space Physics: University of Leicester 2017 – present Visiting Professor, University of Michigan 2014 - present Leverhulme Research Fellow and Lecturer: University of Leicester 2014-2017 Postdoctoral Research Scientist: University of Leicester 2011-2014 Research Scientist : NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA 2008-2011 PhD in Space Plasma Physics: University of Leicester:2005-2008 MPhys, First Class Honours: Imperial College London 2001-2005