Tim Gregory

Dr Tim Gregory is a senior nuclear chemist at the United Kingdom’s National Nuclear Laboratory, based at Sellafield in Cumbria. His work takes him to the forefront of clean energy production, nuclear medicine research, and space exploration.

Gregory’s scientific journey began in West Yorkshire and led him to the University of Manchester, where he earned a first-class honours degree in Geology with Planetary Science (MEarthSci). As part of his undergraduate studies, he completed a competitive internship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He later completed a PhD at the University of Bristol, focusing on the formation and early evolution of the Solar System through the study of meteorites. His doctoral work placed him at the forefront of cosmochemistry and planetary science, and was followed by a postdoctoral research position at the British Geological Survey in Nottingham.

In 2017, Gregory became one of the final three candidates on the BBC2 series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?, a six-part documentary that put participants through real astronaut selection tests under the guidance of former astronauts. Since then, Gregory has made numerous media appearances, including presenting a segment about meteorites on BBC Four’s The Sky at Night and appearing live on BBC Breakfast, BBC Look North, and BBC Points West. He is a regular voice on national and regional radio, where he shares expert insights on topics ranging from planetary science and nuclear energy to space exploration and science policy.

Gregory is the author of two books, Meteorite: How Stones from Outer Space Made Our World, which explores the role of meteorites in shaping the Earth and Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World, a timely and accessible exploration of nuclear science and its potential to address climate change and energy needs.