First up, do you have a telescope?
No.
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As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Drive a big red London bus.
Explain what you do in one easy paragraph.
I am a professor of computer science and technology evangelist at Durham University, founder of social enterprise #techmums and Women鈥檚 Equality Party candidate for London Mayor in 2020.
What does a typical day involve?
Some of the things I did in one week recently are: I interviewed candidates for CEO, went to a #techmums graduation in Leeds where I met 45 wonderful women and heard their stories, gave a talk for a UK government conference about technology and had a meeting at Durham University.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love technology and how it can empower people to change the world for the better. I love the people I meet, the projects I am working on and the people I work with.
Were you good at science at school?
Pretty average, I think. I loved chemistry but was persuaded to take home economics instead. I hated the subject and failed it. My physics teacher used to take the piss out of me in front of the class, which put me off physics completely.
Sum up your life in a one-sentence elevator pitch鈥�
If I can do it, so can you.
What鈥檚 the most exciting thing you鈥檙e working on right now?
I am so excited about the new programme we have put together, called TechUP Women, which will retrain 100 women into tech careers this year. At #techmums, we are working towards creating 1 million #techmums by 2020. I love igniting potential in people and seeing them change their lives for the better.
If you could send a message back to yourself as a kid, what would you say?
Don鈥檛 listen to the haters. You are amazing and can do so many incredible things with your life, just get out there and have a go!
What鈥檚 the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
Trust your gut instincts.
If you could have a long conversation with any scientist, living or dead, who would it be?
Ada Lovelace. I would love to tell her how groundbreaking her work was and find out how she managed to be so far ahead of her time. It is so tragic that she died at just 36 years old.
鈥淢y physics teacher used to take the piss out of me in front of the class. That put me off completely鈥�
What鈥檚 the best thing you鈥檝e read or seen in the last 12 months?
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez.
Do you have an unusual hobby, and if so, please will you tell us about it?
I have been teased my whole life for knitting and crocheting clothes, until recently, when it became trendy. I loved making clothes for my kids and now my grandchildren.
How useful will your skills be after the apocalypse?
I am quite practical and good at problem solving in difficult circumstances, so hopefully my skills would be pretty useful.
OK, one last thing: tell us something that will blow our minds鈥�
I left school at 16, was a single parent in a refuge at 25 with three children, went back to education at 26, got a degree in computing, a PhD in software engineering, ran the campaign to save Bletchley Park, got an OBE in 2016 and am now living the dream as a professor of computer science.
