Have you ever dreamed of building a flame-throwing piano or a superhero suit that shoots custard (the ultimate way to win a food fight)? Well, meet Shawn Brown, the award-winning engineer who helps bring these crazy contraptions to life!

Shawn’s not your typical engineer – he’s a designer, a maker, and most importantly, a super-creative inventor. Remember that awesome solar-powered electric trike that won him the title of UK Young Engineer of the Year? That was Shawn’s handiwork back in his school days!

Here’s the coolest part: Shawn is dyslexic. Tests and memorising things aren’t exactly his jam, but he celebrates his dyslexia as helping him to create things and solve problems in different ways to other people. Shawn is a big believer in the power of hands-on learning and getting messy with cool projects.

And because he knows what it’s like to learn differently, Shawn trained as a dyslexia advisor to help organisations better support neurodivergent people. This is one of the main reasons Shawn teamed up with Ruth to found Kids Invent Stuff – to show that anyone can be an inventor.

Shawn trained as a Renewable Energy Engineer at university but also went on to study Art & Design, and he believes everyone should be encouraged to embrace their creativity, especially in science and engineering. He loves running workshops to get young people excited about STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths – it’s like a superhero team for learning!).

So, the next time you think inventing is just for people in lab coats with crazy hair, remember Shawn – the super-inventor with a secret weapon: his incredible creativity!