CSICon Las Vegas 2017

James Alcock is professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada. He is a fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a member of the Editorial Board of the Skeptical Inquirer.

Banachek has been described as the “cream of the crop” when it comes to entertainers and is the world’s leading mentalist. He is the director for the James Randi Million Dollar Prize.

Teresa Giménez Barbat studied anthropology at the University of Barcelona. She has written numerous books and articles. In 2008, she founded the association Third Culture in Spain to analize social problems using scientific methods. In 2009, she promoted the “Secular Humanism Forum” for the promotion of ethical values independent of any religion. Since 2015, she is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) having joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe political group (ALDE). She founded a platform entitled Euromind in the European Parliament to bring together scientists and politicians.

Alison Bernstein is a neuroscientist who studies Parkinson's disease, epigenetics and neurotoxicology. She writes as "Mommy PhD" and is featured in the upcoming documentary, Science Moms.

Evan Bernstein is a cohost of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe and The Skeptics Guide 5×5 podcasts. He also serves as the Connecticut chapter chairman of the New England Skeptical Society. Evan has been published as part of The Skeptical Blog Anthology book (The Young Australian Skeptics), and he has appeared as a guest on several skeptic-themed podcasts.

Lindsay Beyerstein is an investigative journalist in Brooklyn, New York. Her reporting has appeared in Slate, Newsweek, and other publications. She was formerly cohost of Point of Inquiry, a radio show and podcast produced by the Center for Inquiry.

Kenny Biddle is a science enthusiast and skeptical investigator of paranormal claims. He’s been involved in photography for over twenty years. He applies his knowledge, experience, and critical thinking skills to analyzing alleged paranormal photographs and video to determine the most plausible causes. His work has been featured in several skeptical publications.

Robyn Blumner joined the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science as executive director in February 2014, and a year later she was promoted to president and chief executive officer. In January 2016 she became CEO of the Center for Inquiry.

Rob Brotherton is an academic psychologist and author of Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. Rob likes to walk on the weird side of psychology. He completed a PhD on the psychology of conspiracy theories with the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. He now lives in New York City and teaches classes on conspiracy theories, social psychology, and science communication at Barnard College.

Richard Dawkins is one of the most respected scientists in the world and an internationally best-selling author. Among his books are The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion, and his autobiography A Brief Candle in the Dark. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and of the Royal Society of Literature.

Dr. Rachael A. Dunlop is a cell biologist working in Jackson, Wyoming, where her team is focused on finding cures for neurodegenerative diseases, including two current FDA-approved phase 2 clinical trials for Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease. She’s a long-time skeptic, being a reporter on the Skeptic Zone Podcast since its inception. Her primary focus is campaigning against the anti-vaccine movement, and this is where she has had the most success. Her work as a member of Stop the Australian (anti)Vaccine Network (SAVN) has contributed to peer-reviewed publications, policy change and a shift away from the media’s tendency to apply false balance to vaccine stories. She is an admirer, practitioner and staunch defender of the scientific method.

Katie Dyer earned a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2000. Dr. Dyer primarily studies parenting practices pertaining to children’s sleep, as well as parent education. She has a secondary research interest in the development of curiosity and critical thinking in college students.

Taner Edis is professor of physics at Truman State University. He has written many articles and books critical of paranormal and supernatural claims and is particularly interested in science and religion in an Islamic context.

Mark Edward is a professional mentalist who specializes in magic of the mind. His book Psychic Blues cracked open the crystal ball on the psychic business. Mark is recognized for his television work as both primary consultant and on-air performer.

Kevin M. Folta is a professor and the chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. A central part of his program is training scientists, farmers, physicians, and students how to perform public outreach in scientific or controversial topics.

Kendrick Frazier is editor of the Skeptical Inquirer and a fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is also on the board of the Center for Inquiry. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is author or editor of ten books.

Susan Gerbic, affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, is the cofounder of Monterey County Skeptics and also founder of the Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) project. You can contact her at SusanGerbic.com.

David H. Gorski, MD, is a surgical oncologist at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute specializing in breast cancer surgery, where he also serves as the Medical Director of the Alexander J. Walt Comprehensive Breast Center, Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and faculty of the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology. As an investigator, his primary research interests include the role of glutamate receptors in promoting the growth and metastasis of breast cancer. He has recently taken an active interest in the problems of breast cancer overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Harriet Hall, MD, is a retired family physician and Air Force flight surgeon who writes about medicine, quackery, alternative medicine, critical thinking, and science. She is one of the editors of the Science-Based Medicine blog and a contributing editor to Skeptical Inquirer and to Skeptic magazine.

Raymond Edward Hall is a professor in the Department of Physics at California State University, Fresno, where for more than fifteen years he has developed and taught courses in engineering physics, quantum mechanics, and other scientific topics.

Sheldon W. Helms is a professor of experimental psychology at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, where he serves as senior faculty member in the psychology department. Sheldon is the vice president of the Bay Area Skeptics and serves on the planning committee for the annual SkeptiCal Conference.

Britt Hermes is a writer, scientist, and former naturopathic doctor. She practiced as a licensed naturopath in the United States for three years and then left the profession after realizing naturopathy is a pseudoscientific ideology. She now writes to expose issues with naturopathy, the current rising profession in alternative medicine. Britt’s writings can be found at Forbes, Science 2.0, KevinMD, and Science-Based Medicine.

George Hrab is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and heliocentrist. He has written and produced six independent CDs and a concert DVD; published two books; and recorded hundreds of episodes of an award-winning podcast.

Ray Hyman is professor emeritus of psychology at University of Oregon, a CSI fellow, and a noted critic of parapsychology. Ray is one of the founders of CSICOP—now CSI. He is also the creator of the Skeptic’s Toolbox conference.

Layla Katiraee is a scientist working in the biotech sector in California, specializing in Next-Generation Sequencing product development. She has been working in this particular segment of the biotech sector for 8 years and has been working on developing technologies that analyze a subset of the genes in the human genome for the past three years. She has a PhD in human molecular genetics from the University of Toronto, and a honors bachelor degree from the University of Western Ontario in biochemistry.

Maria Konnikova is the New York Times–best-selling author of The Confidence Game (Viking/Penguin, 2016). Her first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (Viking/Penguin, 2013), has been translated into eighteen languages.

Lawrence Krauss is director of the Origins Project at ASU and Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the Physics Department at Arizona State University. He also is chair of the Board of Sponsors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and on the board of the Federation of American Scientists. His new book The Greatest Story Ever Told …So Far was released in the spring of 2017.

Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science and Director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center at Penn State. His research focuses on climate change. He recently coauthored The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial Is Threatening Our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy with Tom Toles, the Pulitzer Prize–winning editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post.

Natalie Newell is the director and producer of the forthcoming Science Moms documentary film, as well as one of the hosts of The Science Enthusiast Podcast. Natalie holds an MEd. and worked for a decade in the field of Montessori education before choosing to become a stay-at-home parent and pursue her interests in science communication and secular activism.

Joe Nickell is senior research fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI). He is the author of more than twenty investigative books, including Detecting Forgery, Camera Clues, Unsolved History, Real-Life X-Files, Crime Science, and Secrets of the Sideshows.

Bob Novella is a cofounder and vice president of the New England Skeptical Society. He cohosts the Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast and has written numerous articles that are widely published in skeptical literature. Bob’s scientific interests lie in the extremes, from the gargantuan to the infinitesimal: astronomy and cosmology to particle physics and quantum mechanics.

Jay Novella has been a skeptical activist for fifteen years and serves as a cohost and producer of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe, a popular science podcast. Jay is also the producer and director of SGU Video Productions whose videos can be seen on the SGU YouTube channel. Jay also is a regular contributor to The Rogues Gallery, a popular science and skepticism blog.

Steven Novella, MD, is an academic neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to being the host of The Skeptics’ Guide podcast, he is the president and cofounder of the New England Skeptical Society. He is also the author of NeuroLogicaBlog, a popular science blog. He is also a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Loren Pankratz, PhD, was a psychologist for medical and surgical services at the Portland VA Medical Center and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health Sciences University. Following retirement, he maintained a forensic practice for seventeen years. He now spends his time writing about historical deceptions and collects books on this topic.

Massimo Polidoro is a writer and an internationally recognized “mystery detective.” He began his career as James Randi’s apprentice and is the cofounder and head of the Italian skeptics group CICAP. He is a TV personality in Italy, a research fellow for CSI, and a longtime columnist for its magazine, the Skeptical Inquirer. He is currently working on The “Amazing” Randi biography.

Ross Blocher emerged from a childhood of Bible memorization, literal Creationism, and numerous books about ghosts and aliens as an adult with a keen interest in belief and the paranormal. Along with his co-host Carrie Poppy, Ross investigates fringe science, spirituality and all manner of extraordinary claims first-hand for the podcast “Oh No, Ross and Carrie!” He is also a decade-long member of the Independent Investigation Group, helping design and administer challenges to test extraordinary claims for a $100,000 prize. By day, Ross works in animation, one of his other passions.

James “The Amazing” Randi began his career as a stage magician and escape artist but achieved fame as a professional skeptic, publicly disproving the claims of self-described psychics, mentalists, and faith healers. He is one of the founders of CSICOP—now CSI—and the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF).

Cara Santa Maria is a Los Angeles area Emmy Award–winning journalist, science communicator, television personality, producer, and podcaster.

She is a regular contributor to “TechKnow” on Al Jazeera America. Cara also hosts a weekly science podcast called Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria and cohosts the popular Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast.

Eugenie C. Scott is the former executive director of the National Center for Science Education and an internationally known expert on the creationism and evolution controversy and science denialism. She is author of Evolution vs Creationism: An Introduction.

Joe Schwarcz is Director of McGill University’s “Office for Science and Society” which is dedicated to demystifying science and separating sense from nonsense. He is well known for his informative and entertaining public lectures on topics ranging from the chemistry of love to the science of aging. Professor Schwarcz has received numerous awards for teaching chemistry and for interpreting science for the public. He is the only non-American ever to win the American Chemical Society’s prestigious Grady-Stack Award for demystifying chemistry. He hosts "The Dr. Joe Show" on Montreal radio, has appeared hundreds of times on television and is the author of 16 best sellers. Also an amateur conjurer, Dr. Joe often spices up his presentations with a little magic.

Kavin Senapathy is a science communicator tackling myths on science, health, and food. She is the co-executive director of March Against Myths and coauthor of The Fear Babe: Shattering Vani Hari’s Glass House. Her work has appeared in Gawker, Slate, and more.

Richard Saunders is a CSI Fellow and the producer and host of ‘The Skeptic Zone’ podcast, now in its 9th year, with thousands of listeners worldwide. He is also a documentary filmmaker and one of the stars of the top rating Australian paranormal TV show, “The One”. A life member and past president of Australian Skeptics Inc., and member of the JREF $1,000,000 prize committee. An author and origami expert with around twenty books and a DVD published, he invented ‘Origami Pigasus’ for James Randi. Richard is founding member of the ‘Mystery Investigators’ live science show for schools.

Jenny Splitter is a food, science and health writer whose work has been published in Slate, New York Magazine's Science of Us, Parents, Salon and other outlets. She's also a mom to two kids who, fortunately and unfortunately, question everything. Jenny also tells true embarrassing stories about herself on stage, and has performed for audiences at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club, the National Gallery of Art, the Capital Fringe Festival and the Birchmere. She's thrilled to be included in the upcoming documentary Science Moms.

Jim Underdown is the executive director of the Center for Inquiry–Los Angeles and the founder of the Independent Investigations Group. He has performed with several bands in the past and is currently lead singer for the Heathens.

Richard Wiseman has written several best-selling popular psychology books (including The Luck Factor, Quirkology, and 59 Seconds). His YouTube channels have received over 500 million views and are some of the most watched channels in the UK. Richard completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh and currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology (University of Hertfordshire).