Kathryn Harkup | |
|---|---|
 Harkup in 2022 | |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of York (PhD) |
| Known for | Science communication |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Website | harkup |
Kathryn Harkup is a British chemist and science communicator. She is known for writing books about science in popular culture and the history of science.
Harkup completed her PhD and post-doctoral degree at the University of York. [1]
After completing her studies, Harkup became a science communicator at the University of Surrey. [1] She has written several books about the history of science in popular culture. [2] In 2015, Harkup published A Is For Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie , which explores the scientific basis of the poisons used in Agatha Christie's novels. [3] Harkup was inspired to write A Is For Arsenic because of her interest in Christie's mystery novels as a teenager, particularly those involving Hercule Poirot. As a science communicator, she noticed that young students were generally interested in "anything dangerous or disgusting", which further inspired the work. [4] The book was nominated for an Agatha Award, [5] and Mystery Readers International Macavity Awards. [6] She subsequently wrote Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 2018. [7]
In 2020, Harkup published Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts. [8] The book dealt with the portrayal of death in William Shakespeare's plays and the scientific understanding that went into his work. It received mostly positive reviews from critics. [9] [10] [11] Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review. [12]
In 2021, she published the popular science book The Secret Lives of Elements, [13] and the nonfiction Vampirology: The Science of Horror's Most Famous Fiend. [14]
Harkup published Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond in 2022, which dealt with depictions of technology in Ian Fleming's James Bond franchise. [15] [16]
Harkup lives in Surrey, England. [17]