List of science communicators
 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the English-speaking world and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (April 2022) |
This is a list of notable science communicators or popularizers of science, in alphabetical order by last name.
A
[edit]- John Acorn, naturalist and broadcaster known as the "Nature Nut"
- Amir Aczel, Jewish author and mathematician
- Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist and broadcaster
- Hashem Al-Ghaili, molecular biotechnologist and video producer
- Jim Al-Khalili, theoretical physicist, author, and science communicator
- Alan Alda, actor, who inspired The Center for Communicating Science
- Michael Allaby, writes on science, ecology, and weather
- Elise Andrew, British blogger, founder and maintainer of the Facebook page "I Fucking Love Science"
- Alberto Angela (born 1962), television presenter, paleontologist, writer, popularizer of science and history.
- Piero Angela (1928–2022), journalist, television presenter, writer, popularizer of science, founder of CICAP.
- Natalie Angier, science journalist and writer
- Isaac Asimov, biochemist, science fiction writer, and author
- Peter Atkins, a physical chemist and author
- Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and broadcaster
B
[edit]- Francis Bacon, English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, & author
- J. Michael Bailey, a psychologist is best known for his research on the etiology of sexual orientation
- Johnny Ball, broadcaster and math popularizer
- John D. Barrow, mathematician, theoretical physicist, and cosmologist; author of numerous journal articles, and books for general readers
- Marcia Bartusiak, science journalist and author
- David Bellamy, broadcaster, author, and botanist
- Bob Berman, astronomer
- Adrian Berry, science author and columnist
- Tim Blais, physicist and YouTuber
- Howard Bloom, author
- David Bodanis, author
- Liz Bonnin, biochemist and TV presenter
- Daniel J. Boorstin, author and Librarian of Congress
- Sir David Brewster, Scottish scientist
- John Brockman, specializing authorship in the scientific literature
- Jacob Bronowski, mathematician, biologist, historian of science, author, and pioneering science broadcaster
- Michael Brooks, noted for explaining complex scientific research
- Bill Bryson, author
- Rob Buckman, doctor of medicine, broadcaster, columnist, author
- James Burke, broadcaster, television producer, and author; best known for the science historian BBC TV series Connections
C
[edit]- Nigel Calder, broadcaster and journalist
- Dallas Campbell, Presented Bang Goes the Theory
- Fritjof Capra, physicist and author
- Eugene Thacker, philosopher and author
- Sean Carroll, cosmologist, blogger, and author
- Rachel Carson, marine biologist, conservationist, author
- Manuel Castells, sociologist and writer
- Juliana Chan, Singaporean biologist and science communicator
- Marcus Chown, author and science journalist
- Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction author, inventor, and futurist
- Brian Clegg, author
- Jack Cohen, reproductive biologist
- Lee Constable, television presenter, author, and biologist
- Heather Couper, astronomer, broadcaster, and author
- Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer, underwater explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, and broadcaster
- Brian Cox, broadcaster, musician, and physicist
- Michael Crichton, medical doctor, author, filmmaker
- Francis Crick, molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist; joint discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule
- Jon Culshaw, impressionist, also occasionally appears as a presenter on The Sky at Night
D
[edit]- Antonio Damasio, neuroscientist and writer
- Tobias Dantzig, mathematician and author
- Paul Davies, physicist, author, and broadcaster
- Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author
- Michael DeBakey, world-renowned cardiac surgeon, innovator, and author
- Daniel Dennett, philosopher, cognitive scientist and author
- Keith Devlin, mathematician and author
- Alexander Dewdney, mathematician, computer scientist, and philosopher
- Jared Diamond, evolutionary biologist, physiologist and geographer
- Ann Druyan, science writer, co-author with (and widow of) Carl Sagan
- Robin Dunbar, anthropology; evolutionary psychology, culture and language; and specialist in primate behavior
- Marcus Du Sautoy, author, broadcaster, Professor of Mathematics
E
[edit]- David Eagleman, neuroscientist and author
- Sir Arthur Eddington, astrophysicist
- Gerald Edelman, from the immune system, analogously, to brain & mind
- Loren Eiseley, Professor of Anthropology and History of Science
- Jordan Ellenberg, mathematician and author
F
[edit]- Peter Fairley, journalist and broadcaster
- Michael Faraday, scientist and lecturer
- Kenneth Feder, archaeologist, skeptic, lecturer, and author
- Timothy Ferris, science writer and best-selling author of twelve books
- Richard Feynman, physicist and author
- Brian J. Ford, biologist, lecturer, and author
- Anna Frebel, astrophysicist and author
- Morgan Freeman, actor and host for TV's Through the Wormhole
G
[edit]- George Gamow, physicist, cosmologist, and author
- Martin Gardner, mathematician, author, skeptic & polymath
- Atul Gawande, surgeon and author
- Malcolm Gladwell, journalist and author
- James Gleick, author and journalist
- Marcelo Gleiser, physicist and astronomer
- Ben Goldacre, medical doctor, psychiatrist, and author
- Stephen Jay Gould, paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and science historian; author of numerous essays, articles, and books
- Steve Grand, computer scientist and roboticist
- Hank Green, entrepreneur, musician, and vlogger
- Brian Greene, physicist
- Susan Greenfield, brain physiologist, writer and broadcaster
- Richard Gregory, neuropsychologist, author and editor of several books
- John Gribbin, astronomer and author
H
[edit]- Heinz Haber, physicist and author
- Margherita Hack, astrophysicist, writer and activist
- Gunther von Hagens, german anatomist and pathologist, inventor of plastination and creator of Body Worlds
- Thomas Hager, author and science journalist
- J. B. S. Haldane, biologist and author
- Jack Hanna, zoologist, broadcaster, author
- Brady Haran, filmmaker
- Yuval Noah Harari, historian, professor, and writer
- Bas Haring, philosopher and author
- Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author
- Lucy Hawking, journalist and daughter of Stephen Hawking
- Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and author
- Ed Hawkins, British climatologist who developed warming stripes and other graphics
- Katharine Hayhoe, Canadian climate scientist and author
- Hetty Helsmoortel, Belgian scientist, author, founder of the Nerdland Festival
- Don Herbert, a.k.a. Mr. Wizard, broadcaster
- Roald Hoffmann, chemist
- Douglas Hofstadter, computer scientist, cognitive scientist, and author
- Lancelot Hogben, experimental zoologist and medical statistician, with many popularising books on science, mathematics, and language
- Sabine Hossenfelder, a theoretical physicist who researches quantum gravity
- Fred Hoyle, British astronomer
- Julian Huxley, eminent scientist, author, and first Director of UNESCO
- Jamie Hyneman, special effects artist and TV personality (MythBusters)
I
[edit]- Jay Ingram, broadcaster and author (Daily Planet)
- Steve Irwin, wildlife expert and conservationist; TV personality of the worldwide-fame wildlife documentary TV series (The Crocodile Hunter)
J
[edit]- Hope Jahren, geochemist and author
- Ray Jayawardhana, astrophysicist and author
- Donald Carl Johanson, paleoanthropologist and author
- Steven Johnson, author
- Steve Jones, evolutionary biologist and author
- Horace Freeland Judson, historian of molecular biology and author
- Olivia Judson, evolutionary biologist, broadcaster and author
K
[edit]- Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and author
- Sam Kean, author
- Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich
- Lawrence Krauss, physicist and author
- Robert Krulwich, broadcaster
- Karl Kruszelnicki, a.k.a. Dr Karl, broadcaster
L
[edit]- Lynne Lamberg, American freelance science journalist
- Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleoanthropologist and conservationist
- John Lennox, mathematician and author
- Edward M. Lerner, computer engineer and author
- Daniel Levitin, a cognitive neuroscientist and author
- Roger Lewin, British anthropologist
- Richard Lewontin, evolutionary biologist, geneticist, and author
- Willy Ley, space travel enthusiast and science writer ("Prophet of the Space Age")
- Don Lincoln, particle physicist and author
- Chris Lintott, astrophysicist
- Avi Loeb, astronomer and author
M
[edit]- Bob McDonald, CBC journalist and host of Quirks and Quarks
- Alister McGrath, molecular biologist and author
- Katie Mack, astrophysics professor who focuses on studying dark matter
- Lynn Margulis, evolutionary biologist and author
- Robert Matthews, physicist, mathematician, computer scientist, and distinguished science journalist
- Danica McKellar, actress, author, mathematician
- Terrence McKenna, ethnobotanist, lecturer, and author
- Peter Medawar, biologist, called by Richard Dawkins "the wittiest of all scientific writers"[1] and by New Scientist "perhaps the best science writer of his generation".[2]
- Fulvio Melia, physicist, astrophysicist, and author
- Ben Miller, English comedian and hosted shows such as It's Not Rocket Science (TV series)
- Julius Sumner Miller, physicist and broadcaster
- Mark Miodownik, materials scientist, engineer, broadcaster, and writer
- Ashley Montagu, anthropologist and humanist, authored by over 60 books
- Sir Patrick Moore, amateur astronomer and broadcaster
- Desmond Morris, zoologist, ethologist and author
- Hamilton Morris, pharmacologist, broadcaster, and author
- Philip Morrison, physicist, known for his numerous books & TV programs
- Siddhartha Mukherjee, oncologist, biologist, author
- Derek Muller, science-based youtube content creator
- Randall Munroe, writer of What if blog
- PZ Myers, professor and author of the science blog Pharyngula[3]
N
[edit]- Yoshiro Nakamatsu, Japanese inventor
- Jayant Narlikar, cosmologist and author
- Steven Novella, skeptic and advocate of science-based medicine
- Eugene P. Northrop, research mathematician and math popularizer
- Bill Nye, actor, mechanical engineer, branded as "The Science Guy"
- Tor Nørretranders, author
O
[edit]- Sten Odenwald, astronomer, author, lecturer
- Robert Olby, author and historian of science
- Chad Orzel, physicist and author
P
[edit]- Kasha Patel, comedian and science writer
- Linus Pauling, biochemist, author, and educator
- John Allen Paulos, mathematician and author
- Fred Pearce, journalist at New Scientist
- Yakov I. Perelman, author
- Wendell Phillips, archaeologist
- Steven Pinker, experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist, and author
- Phil Plait, astronomer and skeptic who runs the Bad Astronomy website
- Martyn Poliakoff, British chemist, featured in the YouTube The Periodic Table of Videos series
- John Polkinghorne, physicist and author
- Robert Pollack, biologist and author
- Michael Pollan, journalist and author, professor
- Carolyn Porco, leader of Cassini Imaging Team
- Roy Porter, prolific work on the history of medicine
- Christopher Potter, publisher, philosopher and author
- Eduard Punset, politician, lawyer, economist, and science popularizer
- Magnus Pyke, food scientist, broadcaster, and author
R
[edit]- V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist, cognitive scientist, and author
- James Randi, stage magician, skeptic, and author
- Lisa Randall, theoretical physicist and author
- Mark Ridley, zoologist, evolutionary scientist and author
- Matt Ridley, zoologist, journalist and author
- Alice Roberts, anatomist, anthropologist, television presenter, and author
- Steven Rose, biologist, neurobiologist, broadcaster and author
- Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist and author
S
[edit]- Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author
- Carl Sagan, astrobiologist, astronomer, broadcaster, and author
- Kirsten Sanford, neurophysiologist and broadcaster
- Laurie Santos, cognitive scientist, professor of psychology, and host of The Happiness Lab
- Adam Savage, special effects artist and TV personality (MythBusters)
- Walter Warwick Sawyer (or W. W. Sawyer), mathematician, mathematics educator, and author
- Eric Scerri, chemist, historian and philosopher of science, and author
- Lieven Scheire, Belgian comedian, science communicator, founder of the Nerdland Podcast
- Joseph A. Schwarcz, chemist, author, TV and radio host
- Garrett P. Serviss, American astronomer and science fiction writer
- Tali Sharot, cognitive neuroscientist and writer
- Seth Shostak, astronomer, broadcaster, and author
- Neil Shubin, paleontologist, evolutionary biologist
- George Gaylord Simpson, paleontologist, zoologist and author
- Simon Singh, physicist, mathematician, and author
- Edwin Emery Slosson, chemist, journalist, and editor
- Laura J. Snyder, historian, philosopher, and author
- Mary Somerville, polymath, mathematician, and author
- Paul Stamets, mycologist and author
- Michael Stevens, science-based YouTube content creator
- Iain Stewart, geologist and broadcaster
- Ian Stewart, mathematician and author
- David Suzuki, broadcaster, geneticist, and environmental activist
- Daniel Swain, meteorologist
T
[edit]- Lewis Thomas, physician, poet, etymologist, and essayist
- Chriet Titulaer, Dutch astronomer, author, and broadcaster
- Colin Tudge, biologist and author
- Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and author
W
[edit]- Kenneth Walker (author), surgeon and author
- Alie Ward, television and podcast host
- Fred Watson, astrophysicist, musician, and author
- James D. Watson, molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist
- Kevin Warwick, biomedical scientist, roboticist, and author
- Victor Weisskopf, physicist, science administrator and author
- Michael White, musician and science writer
- Norbert Wiener, mathematician, author; the father of cybernetics
- Simon Winchester, geologist and author
- Robert Winston, medical doctor, scientist, TV presenter, and author
- Richard Wiseman, psychologist and author
- Stephen Wolfram, mathematics, theoretical physics, scientific computing
- Lewis Wolpert, developmental biologist, author, and broadcaster
- Peter Wothers, chemist and author
- Andrea Wulf, author
Z
[edit]- Paul Zaloom, the actor who portrayed an eccentric scientist on the children's TV show Beakman's World 1992–1998
- Carl Zimmer, science writer and author of the science blog The Loom[4]
- Marlene Zuk, evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Dawkins, Richard (2008). The Oxford book of modern science writing. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-19-921680-2.
- ^ Editorial (October 1987). "Peter Medawar (obituary)". New Scientist. 116 (1581): 16.
- ^ "Pharyngula". Scienceblogs.com. 2011-11-04. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ "The Loom". Blogs.discovermagazine.com. Retrieved 2011-11-08.