Biography:Timandra Harkness

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Short description: British writer, presenter and comedian


Timandra Harkness
QED 20161015 159.jpg
Speaking at QEDcon in 2016
NationalityBritish
Alma mater
  • Bulmershe College
  • Open University
Occupation
  • Writer
  • presenter
  • comedian
Years active2000–present
Notable work
  • Big Data: Does Size Matter
Websitetimandraharkness.com

Timandra Harkness is a British writer, presenter and comedian.[1]

She has contributed to several publications, including BBC Science Focus magazine and The Daily Telegraph, and authored the book Big Data: Does Size Matter?. Harkness has co-written and performed comedy shows related to science and mathematics, including collaborations with her mother Linda Cotterill and comedian Matt Parker. Since 2016, she has chaired the Data Debate series for the Alan Turing Institute and the British Library. She is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a visiting fellow at the University of Winchester's Centre for Information Rights.

Education

Harkness has a BA in Film and Drama with Art from Bulmershe College[when?] and a BSc in Mathematics & Statistics from the Open University, awarded in 2017.[2] In 2021 she began postgraduate study in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, London, completing an MA in 2023.

Career

Writer

Harkness has written about technology for BBC Science Focus magazine,[3][4][5] about statistics for Significance (a popular science magazine published by the Royal Statistical Society),[6] and about motorcycles for The Daily Telegraph.[7]

Harkness is the author of the book Big Data: Does Size Matter?[8] Her second book Technology is not the problem is forthcoming in 2024.[9]

Broadcaster

Harkness' work for BBC Radio 4 includes an afternoon play,[10] documentaries,[11][12][13][14] being a roving reporter for The Human Zoo[15] and presenting FutureProofing,[16] a series about the future potential of science.

Performer

In 1999 Harkness co-wrote a comedy with her mother Linda Cotterill, called No Future in Eternity, about an astronomer who shares a flat with two angels.[17] They received a grant from the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, John Campbell Brown, to perform the show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2000.[18] The show was subsequently broadcast as an afternoon play on BBC Radio 4.[10][19]

Since 2004 Harkness has collaborated with Dr Helen Pilcher, as a comedy duo named the Comedy Research Project, writing and performing stand-up shows about science.[20][21][22]

In 2012 Harkness and fellow comedian Matt Parker co-wrote a comedy show called Your Days are Numbered: The Maths of Death. They performed the show in Australia , at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, on tour around England and in Scotland, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[23]

Harkness returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019 to perform a one-woman show, called Take a Risk.[24][25]

Data engagement

Since 2016, Harkness has chaired the Data Debate for the Alan Turing Institute and the British Library, a series of panel discussions about big data and its implications for society.[26] She has spoken at the Hay Festival,[27][28][29] the Battle of Ideas,[30][31][32][33][34][excessive citations] TEDx,[35] The Scotsman Data Conference[36] and the Cheltenham Science Festival.[37]

Harkness is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), a founding member of their special interest group on Data Ethics.[38] She was elected to serve on the Council of the RSS from 2024[39], and took over the chair of the editorial board of their magazine Significance at that time.[40] Harkness is also a visiting fellow at the University of Winchester's Centre for Information Rights.[41]

Awards

In 1997, Harkness won a column-writing competition, organised by The Independent newspaper.[citation needed]

Publications

  • Big Data: Does Size Matter (2016)[8]

Radio

  • No Future In Eternity (2001)[10]
  • Data, Data, Everywhere (2014)[11]
  • Personality Politics (2014)[12]
  • FutureProofing (2014–present)[42]
  • Hindsight Bias (2015)[43]
  • Perfect People (2015)[15]
  • Supersense Me (2017)[13]
  • The Why Factor: Are You A Numbers Person? (2017)[44]
  • How to Disagree: A Beginner's Guide to Having Better Arguments (2018)[45][46]
  • The Infinite Monkey Cage: Big Data (2018)[47]
  • Divided Nation (2019)[14]
  • What Has Sat-Nav Done to Our Brains? (2019)[48]
  • Five Knots (2020)[49]
  • Steelmanning (2021) [50]

Comedy

  • The Comedy Research Project (2004)[51]
  • Your Days Are Numbered - The Maths of Death (2012)[52]
  • Brainsex (2013)[53]
  • Take A Risk (2019)[54][24][25]

References

  1. ↑ Santos, Patricia (2019). "Science, communication and women in networks". Women in Science (British Council) (1). https://www.britishcouncil.org.br/sites/default/files/women_in_science_magazine_no1_eng_version_online.pdf. Retrieved 2020-11-06. 
  2. ↑ "Timandra Harkness". Space Group. https://bimshowlive.co.uk/speaker/timandra-harkness/. 
  3. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (2019-04-08). "Five key ideas you need to understand now if you want to be ready for the world of 2030". BBC Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/five-key-ideas-you-need-to-understand-now-if-you-want-to-be-ready-for-the-world-of-2030/. 
  4. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (2020-04-21). "How will the NHS contact-tracing app work and how could it affect my privacy?". BBC Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/how-will-the-nhs-contact-tracing-app-work-and-how-could-it-affect-my-privacy/. 
  5. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (2020-11-11). "A level results: Why algorithms aren't making the grade". BBC Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/a-level-results-why-algorithms-arent-making-the-grade/. 
  6. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (2012-02-08). "Seduced by stats?". Significance (Royal Statistical Society) 9 (1): 46–48. doi:10.1111/j.1740-9713.2012.00549.x. 
  7. ↑ Harkness, Timandra (2004-09-04). "Angels". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/2730068/Angels.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Stoye, Emma (2014-10-24), "Big data: does size matter?", Chemistry World (Royal Society of Chemistry), https://www.chemistryworld.com/review/big-data-does-size-matter/1017462.article, retrieved 2020-11-09 
  9. ↑ "From culture wars to misinformation: Why social media is not the problem' with Timandra Harkness | Selwyn College". https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/events/LF15. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "No Future in Eternity". Afternoon Play. BBC. Radio 4.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Data, Data, Everywhere (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Personality Politics (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Supersense Me (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2017.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Divided Nation". Archive on 4. BBC. Radio 4.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Perfect People". The Human Zoo. BBC. Radio 4.
  16. ↑ Harkness, Timandra. "What is FutureProofing?". https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/33g0cvzTrsjTv8PWM313vQ7/what-is-futureproofing. 
  17. ↑ Pennicott, Kate (2001-07-23). "Astronomy meets angels in a divine comedy". https://physicsworld.com/a/astronomy-meets-angels-in-a-divine-comedy/. 
  18. ↑ Brown, John. "Outreach: Public Understanding of Science Work". https://www.johncbrown.org/outreach.html. 
  19. ↑ "Afternoon Play: No Future in Eternity". 24 July 2001. https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3acf7b02755b47feba48767c59149d38. 
  20. ↑ "Five Top Things in Science - Ever (Comedy Research Project)". http://lecturelist.org/content/view_lecture/595. 
  21. ↑ "The hidden comedy of science". BBC News. 2004-06-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3787129.stm. 
  22. ↑ "Helen Pilcher". https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-pilcher-14090658/. 
  23. ↑ "Your Days are Numbered Tour Dates". http://yourdaysarenumbered.co.uk/. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Cornwell, Tim (2019-08-19). "Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019 REVIEW Timandra Harkness: Take a Risk". https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2019/08/edinburgh-festival-fringe-2019-review-timandra-harkness-take-a-risk-%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85/. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Heald, Steve (2019-08-07). "Timandra Harkness – Edinburgh Fringe Festival". https://theplusones.com/edinburgh/2019/08/07/timandra-harkness-edinburgh-fringe-festival/. 
  26. ↑ Wood, Beth. "New Data Debates series with the British Library: Smart cities and fake news". https://www.turing.ac.uk/events/data-debates-bots-polling-booth. 
  27. ↑ "Big Data". 30 May 2017. https://www.hayfestival.com/p-12276-timandra-harkness.aspx?skinid=16. 
  28. ↑ "Creators and Consumers: What's our role in responsibly designing the future?". 27 May 2018. https://www.hayfestival.com/p-13800-matt-hancock-helen-margetts-timandra-harkness.aspx. 
  29. ↑ "Can Artificial Intelligence Be Ethical?". 26 May 2018. https://www.hayfestival.com/p-13765-timandra-harkness-harriet-kingaby-peter-lacy-rohit-talwar.aspx. 
  30. ↑ "Was it Big Data wot won it? Political campaigning today". https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/2017/session/was-it-big-data-wot-won-it/. 
  31. ↑ "From AI to Big Data: can technology save the NHS?". https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/2017/session/from-ai-to-big-data-can-technology-save-the-nhs/. 
  32. ↑ "Rage against the machines: is automation a threat to jobs?". https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/2017/session/rage-against-the-machines-is-automation-a-threat-to-prosperity/. 
  33. ↑ "If data runs the world, who is in control?". https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/2018/session/if-data-runs-the-world-who-is-in-control/. 
  34. ↑ "Automatic lovers: should we be worried about sex robots?". https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/2018/session/automatic-lovers-should-we-be-worried-about-sex-robots/. 
  35. ↑ Timandra Harkness (2017-06-23). What is Knowledge in the Age of Big Data? (Presentation). London, England: TEDx Talks.
  36. ↑ Lee, David (2020-10-29). "World-leading experts headline Scotsman data conference on combatting Covid-19". The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/business/world-leading-experts-headline-scotsman-data-conference-combatting-covid-19-2996827. 
  37. ↑ "Cheltenham Science Festival Programme Announced". 2018-04-18. https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/news/2018/04/cheltenham-science-festival-programme-announced/. 
  38. ↑ "Data Ethics". https://rss.org.uk/membership/rss-groups-and-committees/special-interest-groups/data-ethics/. 
  39. ↑ "RSS announce new Council members". https://rss.org.uk/news-publication/news-publications/2023/general-news/rss-announce-new-council-members/. 
  40. ↑ "Significance announces new editorial board chair". 12 January 2024. https://significancemagazine.com/significance-announces-new-editorial-board-chair/. 
  41. ↑ "Centre for Information Rights". https://www.winchester.ac.uk/research/building-a-sustainable-and-responsible-future/centre-for-information-rights/. 
  42. ↑ FutureProofing (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2014.
  43. ↑ "Hindsight Bias". The Human Zoo. BBC. Radio 4.
  44. ↑ "Are You A Numbers Person?". The Why Factor. BBC. Radio 4.
  45. ↑ How to Disagree: A Beginner's Guide to Having Better Arguments (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2018.
  46. ↑ How to Disagree: A Beginner's Guide to Having Better Arguments (Audio book). BBC Digital Audio. 2018.
  47. ↑ "Big Data". The Infinite Monkey Cage. BBC. Radio 4.
  48. ↑ "What Has Sat-Nav Done to Our Brains?". Seriously... BBC. Radio 4.
  49. ↑ Five Knots (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2020.
  50. ↑ Steelmanning (Radio broadcast). BBC Radio 4. 2021.
  51. ↑ Day, Elizabeth (2004-06-13). "Scientists are serious about having a laugh". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/3324204/Scientists-are-serious-about-having-a-laugh.html. Retrieved 2020-11-09. 
  52. ↑ Moorhead, Rosy (2012-02-10). "Timandra Harkness on her new comedy show Your Days are Numbered: The Maths of Death". https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/interviews/9525377.timandra-harkness-on-her-new-comedy-show-your-days-are-numbered-the-maths-of-death/. Retrieved 2020-11-09. 
  53. ↑ Ranscombe, Peter (2013), "BrainSex", The Lancet 12 (Nov): 1047, doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70219-9, https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laneur/PIIS1474-4422(13)70219-9.pdf, retrieved 2020-11-09 
  54. ↑ Timandra Harkness (2019). "Take A Risk" (Podcast).



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