Jo Foster has a background in teaching and school leadership, serving as a project leader, science teacher, Head of Science and an Assistant Headteacher over her 20-year teaching career. Jo became the director of the national charity the Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) in 2019, after serving as an active trustee. 

Her most recent role in school was as vice principal at Camborne Science and International Academy, where she led the school’s specialist STEM provision, Nexus. Jo knows, first-hand, the impact of research in schools, particularly its role in unlocking young people’s enthusiasm for STEM subjects.

Jo was the STEM Education Trustee from 2019-2021 for the Science Museum Group and is a member of the Royal Society Education Committee. She also sits on the Strategic Board for Science Apprenticeships and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.