To mark 50 years of its flagship schools outreach programme, Jason Alden photographed fifty students, staff, alumni and educators over the course of a year. Working closely with Imperial’s production team and writer, Jason helped shape a visual narrative that reflected not just scientific achievement, but curiosity, mentorship and real human stories.

Shot on location across labs, lecture theatres, workshops and campus spaces, the portraits were designed to feel honest, personal and rooted in place—celebrating the people who have inspired generations to explore science, engineering and discovery.

Among those photographed was Britain’s first astronaut, Dr Helen Sharman, alongside researchers, technicians, young innovators and the teachers that set them on their path. Each sitting was approached with the same intent: to capture character over formality, and create images that felt both purposeful and relatable.

The project culminated in a large-scale public exhibition on Exhibition Road at Imperial’s South Kensington campus, placing these stories at the heart of one of London’s busiest cultural districts. The result was a shared celebration of science, education and the people who power it—built through collaboration, crafted through portraiture.