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About Us
AstroNoir Ltd. is a science communications platform with the aim to make science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) accessible and inclusive for all.
The AstroNoir Family
We are a team of social and natural scientists.
Learn more about us below.
Chaneil James, MSc.
Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Senior Research Consultant
Chaneil James, MSc. is an Earth scientist turned Astrophysicist who uses approachable communication skills to articulate the fields of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathetics (STEAM) in a fathomable way.
Completing a BSc in Earth Sciences at University College London (UCL), her final year Geosciences Project was titled “The Evolution of Mercury’s Core”. Whilst at UCL - she worked as the Community Coordinator for FDL USA/Europe and was a student intern at CERN. In the final year of her undergraduate degree, Chaneil also became the Diversity Coordinator for UKSEDS.
Her master's was in Astrophysics, Particle Physics, and Cosmology at the University of Barcelona (UB). This entailed a thesis discussing the characteristics of suprathermal particles - measured by the Solar Orbiter satellite - that pass from the Sun toward the Earth. Since the beginning of her master's, Chaneil has been a Freelance Scientific Journalist for Physics World and Subject Matter Expert in Earth and space sciences for many NASA SpaceApps Hackathon events - including topics such as the Sustainable Development Goals challenge.
In 2022, she was honored to attend as an independent expert at the United Nations Economic Commission of Europe's Nineteenth session of the Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators and participated in the 1st Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent for the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Additionally, from October 2022 to January 2023 - Chaneil was the Science Communications Coordinator at the Arctic Basecamp Foundation.
In addition, with over a decade of experience as an educator - such as tutoring and teaching - Chaneil has found that children, and adults, would often be intimidated by the subjects she so revered. This, she believed, came from the lack of representation and inaccessibility within STEAM fields. Subsequently, this led to the creation of AstroNoir in 2020.
Asanté Boyce, MSc.
Chief Project Officer & Research Editor
Asanté holds a BA Hons in Sociology and Criminology, during which she completed a thesis on the experiences and perceptions of sisterhood within the Black British community.
Though originally from London, Asanté is currently living in the Netherlands. Completing an MSc in Cultural Anthropology: Sustainable Citizenship. She researched the knowledge and perceptions of people with a refugee background in Utrecht, regarding the environment and sustainability. Asanté has a keen interest in the socio-cultural factors involved in sustainability and the environment, particularly the inclusion of diverse perspectives. She also believes in ensuring that young people are aware of the impacts and policies surrounding environmental-related issues such as climate change. With AstroNoir, Asanté knows that such scientific-related topics will also be made approachable for young people and help develop representation within such fields. Additionally, by volunteering as a Networking & Outreach Officer for ClimaTalk she is able to further the work on this.
She is also interested in food waste/management, soil degradation, and education. A lover of documentaries and non-fiction books, she always appreciates any recommendations!
Chris Chellembrom, BEng.
Chief Technology Officer & Chief Operational Officer
Christophe undertook his BEng in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Southampton and completed his final year project on the development and use of solid lubricants in space. After finding his passion for the space industry, he is now studying for an MSc in Space Engineering at Politecnico di Milano with a particular focus on propulsion systems.
Christophe found that children and teenagers show immense curiosity towards sciences and constantly look for answers to how the world works. However, this curiosity tends to fade away once they are told that these questions involve long mathematical equations and complex problems. He believes that by making science a fun-learning experience, this curiosity will remain, influencing more and more youngsters to join this branch of knowledge. Christophe is committed to ensuring AstroNoir achieves this goal by increasing the exposure of children and teenagers to STEM with the use of events and projects.
Having gained engineering experience through curricular and extra-curricular projects, Christophe also enjoys sports and expressing his creativity through music and drawing.
Natoshia Anderson, Ed.D.
Community Liason Manager
The engaging, phenomenal founder of Natoshia Anderson Consulting, LLC. Dr. Natoshia Anderson, is a reformed Mechanical Engineer-turned award-winning STEM educator and STEM gender equity/diversity and inclusion advocate, STEM leadership consultant, and dynamic and informative, in-demand STEM motivational speaker and podcast host (STEMming in Stilettos ™).
Dr. Anderson loves to offer intensive professional and leadership development coaching and training for women of color in STEM, and STEM keynote/motivational speaking services to organizations, associations, corporations, conferences, and educational systems nationwide.
In her spare time, Dr. Anderson can be found reading a good romance novel or binge-watching Netflix shows. She is a wife of 23 years and is a mother to one college and high school senior.
Earth, Environmental, & Climate Sciences Contributor
As a research scientist at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, Marjahn Finlayson, MSc. has introduced atmospheric science and meteorology to South Eleuthera. From 2021, she has led projects focused on tropical cyclone development projections using PRIMAVERA (from EU Horizon 2020 data) outputs, studied weather and climate conditions in the South Eleutheran community, conducted community surveys on perceptions of climate change, and headed sea glider launches and recoveries with the University of Miami and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). She has collaborated with local Bahamian and international institutions and scientists to provide accessible documentation and studies on climate change, hurricanes, and weather.
Marjahn began her earth science career at Wesleyan University, where she learned about tropical cyclones, palaeoclimatology and climate modelling. As a junior, she worked with NOAA scientists at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (NOAA GFDL) and wrote an undergraduate dissertation on the impacts of the El Niño Southern Oscillation on tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Basin, based on this research. In 2020, she earned a Master's in Research from the University of Leeds in Climate and Atmospheric Science. There she studied storm track movement and statistical analysis under different climate scenarios presented in IPCC AR5. Between her undergraduate and graduate studies, Marjahn discovered her love for teaching and working with students of all ages. Based on her work in education and community engagement for climate science and weather, she founded ClimateEdu Bahamas and Fin Forecasts in 2022 as conduits to extend her reach in this work.
Marjahn studies severe weather in our changing climate, especially for island nations and communities. This research is personal because, as a Bahamian, her communities are most vulnerable to the most adverse effects of climate change.