{{short description|British science communicator}} {{EngvarB|date=March 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{infobox scientist | birth_name = Katharine Luisa Arney | name = Kat Arney | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = | birth_place = Italy | other_names = | residence = | citizenship = | fields = Cancer research | workplaces = {{Plainlist| * Cancer Research UK * The Naked Scientists * Imperial College London}} | patrons = | education = | alma_mater = University of Cambridge (PhD) | thesis_title = Epigenetic modification in the mouse zygote and regulation of imprinted genes | thesis_url = http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.620401 | thesis_year = 2002 | doctoral_advisor = Azim Surani<ref name=mandy/> | academic_advisors = Amanda Fisher<ref name=mandy/> | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = Science blogging<br>Science podcasts | influences = | influenced = | awards = | spouse = | partner = | children = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = {{URL|katarney.wordpress.com}} | footnotes = }} '''Katharine Luisa Arney''' is a British science communicator, broadcaster, author,<ref>[https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/inspiration/2011/05/telling-tales-about-science Telling tales about science ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807074323/https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/inspiration/2011/05/telling-tales-about-science |date=7 August 2016 }}, Women in Science and Engineering Campaign.</ref> and the founder and creative director of communications consultancy First Create the Media.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=First Create the Media|url=https://firstcreatethemedia.com/|access-date=|website=}}</ref> She was a regular co-host of ''The Naked Scientists'', a BBC Radio programme and podcast, and also hosted the BBC Radio 5 Live ''Science Show''<ref>{{cite web|publisher=CSICOP|title=interview with Kat Arney|url=http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/herding_hemingwayrsquos_cats_understanding_how_our_genesnbspworkmdashinterv|date=22 June 2016}}</ref> and the BBC Radio 4 series ''Did the Victorians Ruin the World''<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Did the Victorians Ruin the World|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08l6twn|access-date=|website=BBC}}</ref> She has written numerous articles and columns for ''Science'',<ref name=science>{{cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/author/kat-arney|title=Articles by Kat Arney at Science magazine |website=sciencemag.org|publisher=AAAS|date=4 December 2012 }}</ref> ''The Guardian'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profile/kat-arney|title=Articles by Kat Arney at The Guardian|work=The Guardian|location=London}}</ref> ''New Scientist''<ref name=newscientist>{{cite journal|last1=Arney|first1=Kat|title=Epigenetics|journal=New Scientist|volume=228|issue=3051|year=2015|pages=39|doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(15)31765-6|bibcode=2015NewSc.228...39A}}</ref> the BBC and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/author/katarney/|title=Articles by Kat Arney at Cancer Research UK|website=cancerresearchuk.org|access-date=4 July 2016|archive-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415034337/http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/author/katarney/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="EiC">{{cite web|title=Kat Arney|url=https://eic.rsc.org/kat-arney/5436.bio|website=Education in Chemistry|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|accessdate=23 January 2018}}</ref>
==Education== Arney was educated at the University of Cambridge where she was awarded a PhD in 2002 for research into epigenetic modification in the mouse zygote and regulation of imprinted genes.<ref name=phd>{{cite thesis|degree=PhD|publisher=University of Cambridge|title=Epigenetic modification in the mouse zygote and regulation of imprinted genes|first= Katharine Luisa|last=Arney|year=2002|url=http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.620401|oclc=894595629}}</ref> Her PhD was supervised by Azim Surani<ref name=mandy>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116084125/http://katarney.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/ada-lovelace-day-professor-amanda-fisher/|archivedate=16 November 2013|url=http://katarney.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/ada-lovelace-day-professor-amanda-fisher/|website=katarney.wordpress.com|first=Kat|last=Arney|year=2010|title=Ada Lovelace day – Professor Amanda Fisher}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |author1=K. L. Arney |author2=S. Erhardt |author3=R. A. Drewell |author4=M. A. Surani | title = Epigenetic reprogramming of the genome—from the germ line to the embryo and back again | journal = The International Journal of Developmental Biology | volume = 45 | issue = 3 | pages = 533–540 | year = 2001 | pmid = 11417896 }}</ref> and included research on Insulin-like growth factor 2 and the H19 gene.<ref name="Arney2003">{{cite journal|last1=Arney|first1=Katharine L|title=H19 and Igf2 – enhancing the confusion?|journal=Trends in Genetics|volume=19|issue=1|year=2003|pages=17–23|doi=10.1016/S0168-9525(02)00004-5|pmid=12493244}}</ref> She went on to do postdoctoral research at Imperial College London working in the laboratory of Amanda Fisher.<ref name=mandy/><ref name="Arney2004">{{cite journal|last1=Arney|first1=Katharine L.|last2=Fisher|first2=Amanda G.|title=Epigenetic aspects of differentiation|journal=Journal of Cell Science|volume=117|issue=19|year=2004|pages=4355–4363|pmid=15331660|doi=10.1242/jcs.01390|doi-access=}}</ref><ref name=scopus>{{Scopus|id= 6602719219}}</ref>
==Career== Arney is a strong advocate for involvement of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but "hates pink" - she considers attempts to make science look more "girlie" to be patronising and unnecessary.<ref>[https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/i-hate-pink-it-hugely-patronising-think-making-things-pink-will-get 'I hate pink. It is hugely patronising to think making things pink will get girls into science'] ''Times Educational Supplement''.</ref>
From 2004 to 2016 she was science communications manager for Cancer Research UK.<ref>[http://conference.ncri.org.uk/kat-arney/ speaker profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917222230/http://conference.ncri.org.uk/kat-arney/ |date=17 September 2016 }}, NCRI conference</ref> One notable success in this role was the "[https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoMakeupSelfie #NoMakeupSelfie]" hashtag as it trended in August 2014; this was noted by CRUK's social media team who used a photograph of Arney – one of the charity's main media spokespeople – to publicise the SMS number for donations. After more than 5 million views, the hashtag raised in excess of £8 million for Cancer Research UK.<ref>[http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/lessons-cruk-learned-nomakeupselfies/fundraising/article/1304407 The lessons that CRUK learned from nomakeupselfies], ''Third Sector''.</ref>
Her first book, ''Herding Hemingway’s Cats'', which was published in January 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing, covers the state of knowledge of the human genome, the advances made since the 1950s and what remains unknown. It also addresses misconceptions about epigenetics and non-DNA inheritance.<ref>{{cite web|author=Anon|year=2016|title=Nonfiction Book Review: Herding Hemingway's Cats: Understanding How Our Genes Work by Kat Arney|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4729-1004-2|work=Publishers Weekly}}</ref><ref name=herding>Herding Hemingway's Cats: Understanding How Our Genes Work {{ISBN|978-1-4729-1004-2}}</ref>
In 2020 she published the book ''Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal''.<ref name="Arney2020">{{cite book|author=Kat Arney|author-link=Kat Arney|title=Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbjbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT161|date=20 October 2020|publisher=BenBella Books, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-950665-51-8}}</ref>
Her sister Helen Arney is a musician with whom she sometimes collaborates.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://eic.rsc.org/kat-arney/5436.bio |title = Kat Arney | Author | Education in Chemistry}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|35em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arney, Kat}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:British science writers Category:British women science writers Category:British science communicators Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge