Dr Helen Sharman

Dr Helen Sharman (OBE, FRSC) was born 30 May 1963. She is a British chemist who became the first Briton in space and the first woman to visit the Mir space station in 1991

Sharman was born in Grenoside, Sheffield (where she attended Grenoside Junior and Infant School), later moving to Greenhill. After studying at Jordanthorpe Comprehensive, she received a BSc in chemistry at the University of Sheffield in 1984 and a PhD from Birkbeck, University of London.

She worked as a research and development technologist for GEC in London and later as a chemist for Mars Incorporated dealing with flavouring properties of chocolate.