About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

More about us

Irene Knowles

Team Coordinator, People Powered Results Team

Irene is responsible for overseeing internal processes and supporting the wide-ranging portfolio of programmes that are developed for clients across a variety of institutions

Prior to working at Nesta, I worked in the Arts and Culture sector and in more recent years for a blood cancer charity, where I supported a team of scientists looking to identify genetically matched donors for patients in need of stem cells transplantation, thus gaining a sound understanding of science and research-led environments, as well as of the public health sector at large.

The role gave me the opportunity among other things to combine my primarily Humanities-based background and Events experience with the intellectual rigour of science, and as such, I led on various science engagement initiatives: these include designing visitor tours of the laboratory, and L&D events aimed at presenting the advancements of our research to colleagues from different divisions across the wider organisation.

As an add-on to my role, I also collaborated to develop D&I strategies, crafting comms and workshops to raise awareness of key objectives and increase their outreach.

Outside of work, my eclectic background makes me hugely passionate about all things human, particularly through interdisciplinary approaches and collective rituals, all of which have found a natural home in an ongoing interest in and study of Anthropology - a subject I have cultivated for a few years by being part of a group who meets weekly at UCL and whose main focus is egalitarian societies and protection of indigenous communities.