The Center for Inquiry (CFI) Speakers Bureau is a tool for campus groups, community groups, and conference organizers to find quality speakers on topics related to CFI’s mission of fostering a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
If you would like to book a speaker, you may email them at the address provided on their profile. Unless indicated otherwise, CFI does not typically act as an intermediary between speakers and groups.
“CFI Speakers” are staff, board members, and volunteer representatives.
If you have questions about the CFI Speakers Bureau, please contact the CFI Outreach Department at outreach@centerforinquiry.
Viewpoints and information presented by speakers do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of, nor should they be attributed to, CFI or its affiliates, or any of their directors or officers.
Found 30 Result(s)
Ben Blanchard
Topics: Humanism, Philosophy, Science (General), Social Issues & Movements, Sociology & Anthropology
Subtopics: Alternative medicine, Atheist/secular movement, Campus group organizing, Coming out atheist, Community group organizing, Conspiracy theories, Ethics & morality, Event planning, Evolution, LGBTQ issues, Meaning of life, Paranormal & fringe-science claims, Philosophy of science, Pseudoscience, Science denial, Science education, Sex & sexuality, Skeptic movement
Ben is an organizer and activist best known for his service work through the Pathfinders Project, a yearlong international service trip sponsored by Foundation Beyond Belief. The Pathfinders supported clean water, education, human rights, and environmental conservation work around in eight countries the globe, as well as providing the framework for the Humanist Service Corps. …
Learn more about Ben Blanchard >Bob Blaskiewicz
Topics: Education, Skepticism
Subtopics: Alternative medicine, Conspiracy theories, Critical thinking, Paranormal & fringe-science claims, Pseudoscience, Science denial, Science education, Skeptic movement
Bob Blaskiewicz is Assistant Professor of Critical Thinking and First-Year Studies at Stockton University, where he teaches courses on critical thinking, science and pseudoscience, science and business writing, and the literature of WWII combat veterans. He’s the Conspiracy Guy blogger at the CSI website, a former TAM presenter, a podcaster at Skepticality, an occasional contributor …
Learn more about Bob Blaskiewicz >Mark Blumberg
Topics: Biology, Cognitive Science, Education, Psychology
Subtopics: Evolution, Evolutionary psychology, Science education
Mark Blumberg is a behavioral neuroscientist and the F. Wendell Miller Professor at the University of Iowa. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in 1983, majoring in Physics and Philosophy. That year, he began graduate school at the University of Chicago, where he received his doctorate in Biopsychology in 1988. After leaving Chicago, …
Learn more about Mark Blumberg >Glenn Branch
Topics: Biology, Education, Philosophy, Skepticism
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Evolution, Pseudoscience, Science denial, Science education
Glenn Branch is deputy director of the National Center for Science Education, a nonprofit organization that defends the integrity of science education against ideological interference. He was the co-editor, with Eugenie C. Scott, of Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design is Wrong for Our Schools, and author or coauthor of numerous articles on climate education and …
Learn more about Glenn Branch >Kevin Davis
Topics: Education, Skepticism, Social Issues & Movements
Subtopics: Atheist/secular movement, Critical thinking, Science education, Skeptic movement
Kevin Davis is a secular activist focused mainly on fighting back against the harms that aggressive indoctrination can cause, especially in public school settings. He’s the head writer and editor for SecularVoices, a Patheos blog, and is the co-founder and Executive Director of Young Skeptics, an elementary-level after school program for kids, focused on critical …
Learn more about Kevin Davis >Christopher DiCarlo
Topics: Education, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Ethics & morality, Evolutionary psychology, History of religion, Psychology of religion, Science education
Dr. Christopher DiCarlo is a philosopher, educator, and author. He often teaches in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Toronto (in Scarborough). He is also a lifetime member of Humanist Canada and an Expert Advisor for the Centre for Inquiry Canada. He has been invited to speak at numerous national and international conferences …
Learn more about Christopher DiCarlo >Dan Everett
Topics: Biology, Education, Religion, Science (General)
Subtopics: Art & science, Leaving religion, Science education
Dan Everett is Dean of Arts and Sciences at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Prior to Bentley he served Professor of Linguistics, Anthropology, and Biological Sciences and Chairman of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Illinois State University in Normal, IL, where he was the first and only faculty member to hold the …
Learn more about Dan Everett >Andrew Fraknoi
Topics: Education, Science (General)
Subtopics: Pseudoscience, Science denial, Science education
Andrew Fraknoi is an astronomer and educator, known for his skill in interpreting scientific discoveries and ideas in everyday language. Fraknoi retired in 2017 as the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and now teaches introductory astronomy at the Fromm Program of the University of San Francisco and through the OLLI Program at San Francisco State University. …
Learn more about Andrew Fraknoi >Thomas Gilovich
Topics: Cognitive Science, Psychology
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Science education
Thomas Gilovich is the Irene Blecker Rosenfeld Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and codirector of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision Research. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of California and his PhD in Psychology from Stanford University. His research focuses on how people evaluate information in their everyday …
Learn more about Thomas Gilovich >Penny Higgins
Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Science (General)
Subtopics: Evolution, Science education
Dr. Pennilyn (Penny) Higgins is a Research Associate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester. She earned bachelor’s degrees in Geology and General Biology from Fort Lewis College in Durango, (southwestern) Colorado, in 1995. She completed a Master’s degree in Chemistry in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Geology in …
Learn more about Penny Higgins >Bruce Hood
Topics: Cognitive Science, Science (General), Skepticism
Subtopics: Paranormal & fringe-science claims, Pseudoscience, Science education
Bruce Hood is Director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre in the University of Bristol in England where he has held a chair in developmental psychology since 1999. He took his first degree in psychology at Dundee University in 1984 and a Ph.D. on the development of visual attention in the human infant at Cambridge …
Learn more about Bruce Hood >George Hrab
Topics: Arts & Entertainment
Subtopics: Art & science, Atheist/secular movement, Comedy, Critical thinking, Music, Pseudoscience, Science denial, Science education, Skeptic movement
Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and heliocentrist George Hrab has written and produced six independent CDs; published one book; recorded hundreds of episodes of an award winning podcast; and even performed for President Clinton- all in a personal quest to improve his audience’s cognitive skills by reaching them through their funny bones and dance shoes. …
Learn more about George Hrab >Gary Hurd
Topics: Biology, Education
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Evolution, Science education
Gary S. Hurd received a doctorate in Social Science from the University of California, Irvine in 1976 (emphasis in Anthropology). He subsequently served on the faculties of the California College of Medicine (UCIMC), the Medical College of Georgia (Psychiatry), and held numerous adjunct appointments. In 1985, he returned to archaeology, the original focus of his …
Learn more about Gary Hurd >Will Kinney
Topics: Education, Physics & Mathematics
Subtopics: Astrophysics, Science education
Will Kinney is a professor in the Department of Physics at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, where he has been on faculty since 2003. Dr. Kinney received his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University, and PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has worked as a research associate at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the …
Learn more about Will Kinney >David Koepsell
Topics: Education, Philosophy
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Ethics & morality, Meaning of life, Science education
Dr. Koepsell earned his Law degree and Doctorate in Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. In addition to practicing law for eight years, he is Adjunct Associate Professor at SUNY at Buffalo Graduate School of Education, specializing in Ethics and Scientific Integrity. He is also the Education Director for CFI. Dr. …
Learn more about David Koepsell >Caleb Lack
Topics: Education, Psychology, Skepticism
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Evolutionary psychology, Mental illness, Pseudoscience, Science education, Skeptic movement
Caleb W. Lack, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, professor, and scientific skeptic operating out of Oklahoma. Dr. Lack is the author or editor of six books, most recently Critical Thinking, Science, & Pseudoscience: Why You Can’t Trust Your Brain (co-authored with University of Cape Town philosopher Jacques Rousseau). He has also authored or co-authored more than 45 scientific publications relating …
Learn more about Caleb Lack >Scott Lilienfeld
Topics: Education, Philosophy, Psychology, Skepticism
Subtopics: Mental illness, Paranormal & fringe-science claims, Philosophy of science, Pseudoscience, Science education
Scott O. Lilienfeld is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University in Atlanta. He received his A.B. from Cornell University in 1982 and his Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical) from the University of Minnesota in 1990. He is founder and past editor of the Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, most recent past President …
Learn more about Scott Lilienfeld >Amanda Marcotte
Topics: Arts & Entertainment, Education, Social Issues & Movements
Subtopics: Comedy, Science education, Sex & sexuality, Women & gender
Feminist author, blogger, and gadfly Amanda Marcotte has been described as “funny. Really funny,” with a “wit is as sharp as the survival knife.” (Sacramento News & Review) Her “writing zings, it crackles, it leaves a mark, and never sugarcoats.” (Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos) And she tends to frantic ire from anti-feminists such …
Learn more about Amanda Marcotte >James McGaha
Topics: Astronomy & Earth Science, Biology, Debates, Education, Philosophy, Skepticism
Subtopics: Astrophysics, Critical thinking, Evolution, Pseudoscience, Science education
James McGaha is a retired USAF pilot, an instructor/examiner in parachuting who has completed over 5000 sport parachute jumps, an astronomer, and director of the Grasslands Observatory. He held a TOP SECRET compartmented security clearance and was involved in numerous classified operations including operations in the so-called “Area 51.” His current work includes astrometry and photometry …
Learn more about James McGaha >Andy Norman
Topics: Atheism & Secularism, Humanism
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Ethics & morality, Evolution, History of atheism/secularism, Meaning of life, Science education
Andy Norman teaches philosophy and directs the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. He’s a dynamic presenter who likes to challenge audiences to think hard about reason and faith, science and spirituality, and the natural foundations of ethics. Andy authored the popular “Brainstormin’” column for the Humanist Network News, and works at understanding how ideologies corrupt …
Learn more about Andy Norman >Shawn Otto
Topics: Debates, Education
Subtopics: Science education
Shawn Otto is an award-winning science advocate, writer, teacher, and speaker. He is the cofounder and producer of the first US Presidential Science Debates, for which he received the IEEE-USA’s National Distinguished Public Service Award. He was a featured speaker at the inaugural March for Science and a behind the scenes organizer, and he speaks around …
Learn more about Shawn Otto >Aron Ra
Topics: Atheism & Secularism, Education, Religion
Subtopics: Atheist/secular movement, Leaving religion, Religious criticism, Science education
Aron Ra is the author of Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism, the host of the Ra-Men podcast, director of the Phylogeny Explorer Project, and a regional director for American Atheists. Aron is one of the “YouTube atheists” and an advocate for rationalism in science classrooms. His videos promoting secular science education have been mirrored, featured, referenced, and recommended by …
Learn more about Aron Ra >Desiree Schell
Topics: Education, Skepticism, Social Issues & Movements
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Science education, Sex & sexuality, Skeptic movement
Desiree Schell is the host of Science for the People, a syndicated live radio show and podcast that broadcasts across North America. The program explores the connections between popular culture, history and science, and promotes critical thinking beyond the ranks of current skeptics. Desiree interviews researchers, authors and experts to help listeners understand the evidence and …
Learn more about Desiree Schell >Brahm Segal
Topics: Biology, Science (General), Skepticism
Subtopics: Science education
Born in Montreal, Canada, Brahm H. Segal, MD completed his undergraduate education at McGill University followed by medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a residency in Internal Medicine at Tufts New England Medical Center and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Segal is a physician-scientist engaged in patient care, education, and research. His research interests are in …
Learn more about Brahm Segal >Kylie Sturgess
Topics: Activism & Organizing, Atheism & Secularism, Education, Philosophy, Religion, Science (General), Skepticism, Social Issues & Movements
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Paranormal & fringe-science claims, Pseudoscience, Psychology of religion, Religious criticism, Science denial, Science education, Skeptic movement, Social media, Women & gender
Kylie Sturgess is the President of the Atheist Foundation of Australia and an award-winning Philosophy teacher with over ten years experience in education. She has lectured on teaching critical thinking, feminism, new media and anomalistic beliefs worldwide, and regularly writes editorial for numerous publications. In 2011, she was the winner of the Best Individual Activist …
Learn more about Kylie Sturgess >Lawrence Torcello
Topics: Education, Philosophy, Politics, Skepticism
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Ethics & morality, Naturalism, Science denial, Science education
Lawrence Torcello received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University at Buffalo. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Rochester Institute of Technology. He regularly teaches and publishes on issues related to critical thinking, social and political philosophy, moral theory, and bioethics broadly construed (i.e. ethical issues in biology, ecology, and medicine). His current research …
Learn more about Lawrence Torcello >Gleb Tsipursky
Topics: Activism & Organizing, Atheism & Secularism, Education, Humanism, Philosophy, Religion, Science (General), Skepticism
Subtopics: Atheist/secular movement, Critical thinking, Ethics & morality, Pseudoscience, Science denial, Science education, Social media
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is passionate about promoting truth-oriented behavior, rational thinking, and wise decision-making. He serves as the President of Intentional Insights, a nonprofit devoted to popularizing these topics. Its main current focus is the Pro-Truth Pledge, a project that aims to reverse the tide of lies and promote truth in public discourse through combining …
Learn more about Gleb Tsipursky >Bertha Vazquez
Topics: Biology, Education
Subtopics: Evolution, Science education
Bertha Vazquez is the Director of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science (TIES), a project of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science. Since its inception in April of 2015, TIES has presented over 94 professional development opportunities for middle school science teachers across the country, providing these middle school teachers with free resources …
Learn more about Bertha Vazquez >Benjamin Wolozin
Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Education, Science (General)
Subtopics: Critical thinking, Evolution, Mental illness, Science education
Benjamin Wolozin received his B.A. in Chemistry from Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. and M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with a focus in neuroscience. Dr. Wolozin is currently a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine. 0 SharesShareTweet
Learn more about Benjamin Wolozin >Charles Wynn
Topics: Education, Religion, Science (General), Skepticism
Subtopics: Pseudoscience, Religious criticism, Science denial, Science education
Dr. Wynn has lectured about science and science education in Puerto Rico, Canada, Malaysia, China, Australia, England, and Russia. His critically acclaimed science trilogy, The Five Biggest Ideas in Science (John Wiley & Sons), Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction: Where Real Science Ends and Pseudoscience Begins (Joseph Henry Press), and The Five Biggest Unsolved Problems in Science (John Wiley & …
Learn more about Charles Wynn >