Meet Braintastic! Science
Who we are, what we stand for and what makes us special
We inspire, engage and educate young people to help them get the best out of their amazing brains. Founded by University of Cambridge graduate and neuroscience and psychology expert Ginny Smith, Braintastic! Science provides spectacular science shows for schools, festivals and events around the world.
Since our re-launch two years ago our shows and workshops have reached over 165,000 young people (and not so young people!) - from explaining how our brains work to help boost learning, to nurturing mental wellbeing in schools. We'd love to get your students excited about science too- just get in touch to discuss how.
What we're all about
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Curiosity and fun
We celebrate curiosity and make learning fun!
Our content promotes curiosity, encouraging kids to ask questions, and highlights the importance of learning and thinking scientifically. And most importantly, our interactive stage shows are great fun!
Knowledge is power
By understanding your amazing brain you can get the best out of it.
We help teachers and students understand the science of their amazing brains, and use it to get the best out of them. From understanding why smart revision techniques work to recognising how to protect their mental wellbeing and support others’ mental health.
Evidence based
We translate trusted scientific research into fun, narrative driven science shows and activities. We also give teachers confidence to apply valid psychology and neuroscience research in their lessons – for example sharing science based tips, tricks and resources to use in the classroom or share with their students.
Our approach is grounded in psychology and neuroscience research, sorting the hype from the hypotheses.
Lifelong learning
We believe that learning doesn’t only belong in the classroom. So we take our science shows to festivals, STEM events and communities all over the UK, and overseas. We want to show kids (and grown ups!) that learning can be enjoyable, and something that we should continue throughout our lives.
Science is part of life and skills like critical thinking and creativity are important for all.
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Everyone's welcome
We believe that science is an important part of everyday life, and should be available to everyone, whatever their gender, race or socioeconomic background. Because of this, we place accessibility at the heart of what we do. All our shows can be adapted for different levels of ability, and we are very happy to work with teachers in advance to adjust the content for their particular students.
Science is for everyone. We aim to produce accessible, inclusive content that everyone can access.
Smashing stereotypes
Anyone can become a scientist, and we aim to highlight researchers from different backgrounds to help show young people that the media trope of the ‘lone genius’ is far from the truth. So you won’t hear us talking about “mad scientists” or perpetuating the wild-hair-and-labcoat stereotype. Instead you’ll hear real stories about how real science is done, featuring some amazing women in STEM.
Scientists are real people like you and me. They are hard-working and persistent, but not all geniuses. You can be one too!
Sophie Milbourne - Social Media
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Sophie studied Molecular Biology at the University of Bath, then went on to a PhD investigating stem cells. She discovered her love for science communication by competing in the Three Minute Thesis competition. Sophie is passionate about telling science stories through videos, writing, podcasts, social media and more, and making sure that everyone has access to the latest science discoveries.
When not manning the Braintastic! Science social media accounts and writing newsletters, Sophie is a science communicator for a medical research organisation in Cambridge. She can also be found on Instagram as Soph.Talks.Science where she shares insights into her career as a woman in STEM who isn't based in a lab, along with fun science news and updates.
Get a free taster of our most popular science show for schools, That's Non-Sense!
Meet the Braintastic! Team
All our science presenters are brain experts, with at least one degree in neuroscience or psychology, as well as being fantastic communicators and storytellers. And they love answering kids questions about the brain, however tricky they may be! They’re also excellent role models for young people who might be interested in a career in psychology or neuroscience. And as it happens, they are mostly women in STEM too!
Ginny Smith- Founder
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Ginny’s science story started early, inspired by school trips to science museums and kitchen-table experiments at home. Studying at the University of Cambridge opened her eyes to the amazing complexity of the human brain, and she soon discovered that she had a talent for making the complex comprehensible, which took her down a path towards becoming a science writer and presenter.
Always happiest on stage, Ginny has spent over 10 years presenting at the UK's biggest science festivals and international venues like Frost Science, Miami and the Rand Show, Johannesburg. She loves performing and engaging young people with neuroscience, but her favourite part of any school science show is Q&A - tackling kids' questions on the brain. She believes that encouraging children to question fosters their curiosity and a lifelong love of science. This led her to found Braintastic! Science, to help her bring the surprising science of our amazing brains to audiences around the world.
Ginny also shares her passion for neuroscience with grown-ups. Her book, ‘Overloaded’, about brain chemistry was a New Scientist Book of the Year 2021. She has co-written 5 books for DK publishing, including the bestselling 'How the Brain Works', and is a blogger and tv science presenter for the Cosmic Shambles Network. She is a science storyteller at heart and loves helping scientists and organisations grab their audience's attention and keep it, as a science communication trainer and consultant. For more on Ginny’s other work, please visit ginnysmithscience.com
Nate Rae- Presenter
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Nate spent a lot of their early life being told that they were bad at science (because they didn’t pay attention in maths class) and that they should stick to telling stories instead. They did just that, getting a masters in english literature from the University of Glasgow and writing dozens of children’s books about everything from dinosaurs to engineering to sharks. Somewhere along the line, they realised that what they really loved to do was tell stories about science – and that they were actually really good at it! After a whole childhood of being told that science wasn’t for them, they’re passionate about showing kids just like them that science isn’t as hard and boring as they’ve been told. They have a Masters in Psychology, and alongside being a science presenter with Braintastic!, teach psychology at London South Bank University, write and edit children’s books, present and edit podcasts, and do mental health research with teenagers and transgender people. They don’t sleep much.
Mike Richardson- Presenter
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Mike is a cognitive psychologist and currently works at the University of Bath researching audience experiences of immersive performance and sensory technology for people with blindness. He’s had a bit of a meandering academic journey. When he left school he lived in a van and taught kayaking for a living. Then, by accident, started a degree in sport and exercise science, leading to a Masters in Cognitive Neuroscience, before settling into a PhD in Psychology. He has presented at the national Three Minute Thesis competition and has taken part in Science Showoff, FameLab, and Pint of Science. He currently produces content for the psychology communication platform SENSE(LESS) Psychology, regularly creating videos, writing blogs, and interviewing researchers from the fields of cognitive psychology and neuroscience. When Mike isn’t doing, writing, or talking about science (which is almost never!) he occasionally turns his hand to fixing old cars and the odd bit of adventure photography. Sometimes, he still lives in a van and teaches kayaking.
Liv has always had a curious mind, and science gave her a way to find the answers to the burning questions she had about the world around her. Leaving her home town of Barnsley behind, she found her feet studying Biology at the University of Lincoln, with a final year project focused on genetics and the brain. It was here she learnt that science is at the forefront of caring for humanity, helping us to have longer and more fulfilled lives and taking care of our planet and our minds in the process. She wanted a way to inspire others about the cool corners of the world we might not normally look at, so went on to study her Masters in Science Communication at the University of Sheffield. Since then Liv has started her own not-for-profit and presented for National Grid at the UK’s largest engineering fair. She is passionate about communicating cutting edge science and inspiring the scientists of the future, and believes that she can have a real impact as a Braintastic! Science presenter by helping people understand themselves and their brains better.
Liv Rhoden- Presenter
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Rebecca Williams - Presenter
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Rebecca is a PhD student studying dementia at the University of Cambridge. From a young age, she was told that she was a chatterbox, which has served her well throughout her academic journey! From running local mental health workshops, to presenting research at international conferences, Rebecca’s love of chatting about science continues to grow. Rebecca didn’t start out her journey with a love of brains, and actually avoided studying biology during her college years, instead becoming enthralled with French and English Literature. However, after studying vision at the University of Oxford during her undergraduate degree in Psychology, she fell in love with how beautifully complicated brains can be. This led her to a Masters in Clinical Neuroscience, before moving to Cambridge to begin her PhD. In her spare time Rebecca enjoys taking to a non-scientific stage and has performed in musicals, operettas and pantomimes as everything from a fairy to a pirate.
