# Carrie Anne Philbin

> Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation

**Wikidata**: [Q55809491](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55809491)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Anne_Philbin)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/carrie-anne-philbin

## Summary
Carrie Anne Philbin is a computer scientist and educator who serves as Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a role in which she leads the organization's global educational initiatives. She is also the creator of the "GeekGurlDiaries" blog and YouTube channel, resources dedicated to making technology learning accessible. Her contributions to education have been recognized with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award.

## Biography
- **Education:** University of Essex Department of History
- **Known for:** Directing educational strategy for the Raspberry Pi Foundation and creating the "GeekGurlDiaries" online educational platform
- **Employer(s):** Raspberry Pi Foundation
- **Field(s):** Computer science education, technology outreach

## Contributions
Carrie Anne Philbin's contributions are centered on educational leadership and content creation. As Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, she oversees the development and implementation of the foundation's global educational programs and resources, which aim to democratize access to computing and digital making. Separately, she founded and maintains the "GeekGurlDiaries" blog (http://geekgurldiaries.blogspot.com/) and its associated YouTube channel (UCxrp2coE9wRrnlOO3V3UmdQ), which provide tutorials, project ideas, and encouragement primarily for learners, with a noted focus on encouraging girls and underrepresented groups in technology. Her professional impact was formally recognized with the appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to education.

## FAQs
**What is Carrie Anne Philbin's primary professional role?**
She is the Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, where she is responsible for the organization's worldwide educational mission and resource development.

**What is the "GeekGurlDiaries" project?**
It is an educational blog and YouTube channel she created to provide accessible technology tutorials and project guides, with a particular emphasis on engaging girls and young people in computing and digital making.

**What is Carrie Anne Philbin's academic background?**
She studied history at the University of Essex Department of History, which provides context for her transition into a career in technology education and communication.

**Has Carrie Anne Philbin received any formal honors for her work?**
Yes, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of her services to education, specifically her work in promoting computing.

**How can you find Carrie Anne Philbin's educational content online?**
Her primary platforms are the "GeekGurlDiaries" blog at geekgurldiaries.blogspot.com and the corresponding YouTube channel under the name "GeekGurlDiaries" (channel ID: UCxrp2coE9wRrnlOO3V3UmdQ). She also uses the Twitter handle @MissPhilbin.

## Why They Matter
Carrie Anne Philbin matters because she operationalizes the mission of the Raspberry Pi Foundation to put "the power of digital making into the hands of people all over the world." As Director of Education, she shapes the strategy and resources that reach millions of learners, directly influencing how computing is taught in schools, clubs, and homes globally. Her personal "GeekGurlDiaries" platform provides a relatable, approachable entry point into technology, helping to combat stereotypes and build confidence among groups historically underrepresented in tech, such as girls. The MBE award signifies state-level recognition of how her work contributes to national educational goals and the digital economy. Without her leadership in curriculum development and her persistent advocacy through personal outreach, the landscape of informal and formal computing education would lack a key, practitioner-led voice that bridges the gap between a low-cost hardware platform (the Raspberry Pi) and effective, inspiring pedagogy for a diverse audience.

## Notable For
*   **Leadership Role:** Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, guiding the organization's global educational strategy.
*   **Content Creator:** Founder and maintainer of the "GeekGurlDiaries" blog and YouTube channel, a long-running resource for technology learners.
*   **National Recognition:** Appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to education.
*   **Advocacy:** A prominent female voice and role model in the technology education sector, actively working to make computing more inclusive.
*   **Professional Identity:** A computer scientist whose career is defined by applied education and public engagement rather than purely theoretical research.

## Body

### Professional Identity and Core Role
Carrie Anne Philbin is professionally identified as a **computer scientist** and an **educator**. Her primary and current affiliation is with the **Raspberry Pi Foundation**, where her official title is **Director of Education**. In this capacity, she leads the foundation's work to support computing and digital making education worldwide. This involves developing educational resources, training educators, and building communities of practice around the Raspberry Pi computer and associated technologies. Her role places her at the intersection of technology, pedagogy, and large-scale public engagement.

### Educational Background
Her formal academic training is in **history**, which she studied at the **University of Essex Department of History**. This non-traditional background for a technology leader informs her approach to education, emphasizing narrative, context, and human-centered design in her work to teach computational concepts.

### Online Presence and Independent Content Creation
Beyond her institutional role, Philbin is an established independent digital creator. She is the creator and driving force behind **"GeekGurlDiaries"**, a multifaceted educational platform:
*   **Blog:** The official blog is hosted at `http://geekgurldiaries.blogspot.com/`.
*   **YouTube Channel:** The channel, named "GeekGurlDiaries," has the ID `UCxrp2coE9wRrnlOO3V3UmdQ`. It serves as a primary outlet for video tutorials and project walkthroughs.
*   **Social Media:** She actively uses the Twitter handle **@MissPhilbin** to share updates and engage with the learning community.

The reach of her online work is documented through periodic subscriber and follower counts:
*   **YouTube Subscribers:** The channel's subscriber count has grown from 33,300 (July 2021) to 34,500 (March 2023) and 34,600 (May 2025).
*   **Twitter Followers:** Her account @MissPhilbin had 15,442 followers (April 2020), 15,796 (January 2021), and 15,897 (February 2023).

### Awards and Formal Recognition
Her contributions to education have been formally honored. She is a recipient of the **Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)** award, a prestigious national honor in the United Kingdom. This award is explicitly cited as being for her **services to education**.

### Professional and Authority Identifiers
Her work is cataloged under numerous authority and identifier systems, confirming her established professional standing:
*   **Wikidata:** Her entry is titled "Carrie Anne Philbin" with the description "Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation." She is classified as an instance of a human (`Q5`) with the occupation "computer scientist" (`Q82594`).
*   **Wikipedia:** She has a Wikipedia article available in multiple languages, including English (`en`), Vietnamese (`vi`), and on Wikimedia Commons (`commons`).
*   **Library Authorities:** She holds identifiers from the Library of Congress (`nb2014018686`), the Bibliothèque nationale de France (`17735092n`), and the German National Library (GND IDs for male/female forms, with her female ID being `4219059-9`).
*   **Other Systems:** Additional identifiers include a VIAF ID (`310620119`), an Open Library ID (`OL7488340A`), a WorldCat Entities ID (`E39PBJjhFc4F68r4jc9PFd4g8C`), a Yale LUX ID, and a Google Knowledge Graph ID (`/g/11fk1gz626`).
*   **Professional Profile:** She maintains a professional page on about.me (`https://about.me/carrieannephilbin`) in English.

### Demographic and Instance Data
Structured data confirms she is a **female** human. Her given name is **Carrie Anne** and her family name is **Philbin**. The "sitelink_count" property indicates her Wikidata item is linked to 3 Wikimedia project pages.

### Synthesis of Work and Influence
Carrie Anne Philbin's career represents a practical, communication-focused strand of computer science. While not a researcher publishing theoretical papers, her work is foundational to the *application* of computer science education at scale. She translates the technical capabilities of the Raspberry Pi into actionable curricula and inspires individual learners through her authentic, hands-on video content. Her influence is twofold: institutionally, she helps shape the educational output of one of the world's most significant computing education charities; personally, she serves as a visible, approachable expert who demystifies technology for a global audience. The combination of an MBE and a sustained, popular independent media presence underscores her unique position as both an institutional leader and a grassroots educator in the technology sector.

## References

1. [BnF authorities](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb17735092n)
2. YouTube API