Catherine Heymans is Astronomer Royal for Scotland, appointed in 2023 in recognition of her distinction as an astrophysicist and science communicator, and the first woman to hold the title. In 2018 she won the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award in recognition of outstanding future potential. Her research has been featured in the Guardian, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Washington Post, and New Scientist. She is a regular contributor to BBC radio and has also featured on Woman's Hour, Brian Cox's The Infinite Monkey Cage and Pennie Latin's Brainwaves. She has made a number of television appearances including The One Show, Richard Osman's House of Games, The Jeremy Vine Show, The Nine, BBC News and Sky News. She also starred in the BBC Earth documentary series called "Science's Greatest Mysteries" currently screening in Canada and the US. She regularly spoke at public events including: the "How the Light Gets In" philosophy and music festival; TED-x Edinburgh and Glasgow; numerous science festivals in the UK, Germany, Australia, Canada and the USA; the Tate Modern; the World Expo in 2017 and 2021. X: @AstroRoyalScot Instagram: @AstronomerRoyal.