Speakers

The people who make the evenings.

Scientists, astronauts, artists, astronomers and futurists: every guest brings a big idea, and every conversation carries on long after the talk.

Rohan Roberts
26 April 2013

Rohan Roberts

Director of SciFest Dubai; co-founder of Cafe Scientifique Dubai and Intelligent Optimism

EveningEdge of the Universe

Rohan directs SciFest Dubai, the first science festival of its kind in Dubai, co-founded Cafe Scientifique Dubai and Intelligent Optimism, and leads the Cafe Sci astronomy group. He founded the Winchester Astronomy Club, is a regular guest on national radio, has curated two astronomy art exhibitions in Dubai and received the 2014 Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Distinguished Teacher Award.

Lara Matossian
27 September 2013

Lara Matossian

Host; Founder and CEO of SciFest Dubai

EveningHost of every evening

Lara is the Founder and CEO of SciFest Dubai, host of Cafe Scientifique Dubai, curator of Project Tesseract and a Lead Astronomer at Dubai Astronomy Group. A professional mime, she moderates for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, co-organises TEDx and promotes science and the arts on the radio.

Anthony Copeland
18 March 2023

Anthony Copeland

Author, educator and programmer; technology integration specialist, American School of Dubai

EveningChatGPT: Prompt Engineering and A.I.

Anthony is a technology integration specialist at the American School of Dubai and a former physics teacher. He wrote ChatGPT for Teaching and Learning, has written on A.I. for education for the International Baccalaureate and Teach Middle East, and builds Google Workspace plug-ins that bring GPT into educators' workflows.

Jose Cordeiro, PhD
17 February 2022

Jose Cordeiro, PhD

Futurist, engineer and author

EveningCryonics & Radical Life Extension

Jose is a futurist, engineer and author. He joins a special edition of Cafe Scientifique to share the latest updates on life extension and human longevity, and his book La muerte de la muerte (The Death of Death).

MaryLiz Bender
12 February 2022

MaryLiz Bender

Chief Experience Officer at IMXP; performer and immersive artist; co-founder of Cosmic Perspective

EveningBlockchain, NFTs, and Crypto Art

MaryLiz is a performer and immersive artist who shares perspectives that inspire awe and wonder. As Chief Experience Officer at IMXP she co-designs celestial gatherings that bring the cosmic perspective down to Earth. As annu, she creates records, shows and immersive audio-visual experiences on human evolution, and has toured the world several times over. She co-founded Cosmic Perspective, telling the story of this age of human exploration through films, Mixed Reality and live immersive shows. A techno-optimist, she keeps her eyes on deep space and her mind on deep time.

Tannya Jajal
22 October 2021

Tannya Jajal

Technology evangelist, A.I. expert and futurist

EveningA.I. and Creativity

Tannya is a technology evangelist, A.I. expert and futurist. She is the Resource Manager at VMware, a leader in cloud infrastructure, and Head of Partnerships at Awecademy, a future-focused edtech startup. She is a technology contributor at Forbes Middle East, serves as an A.I. Expert at the A.I. Policy Exchange and co-leads the Dubai Women in Tech Lean In Circle. She also guest lectures on A.I. for the Dubai Future Academy.

Tom Varden
31 January 2020

Tom Varden

Artist, astronomer and founder of Black Rock Observatory

EveningThe Future of Space Exploration

Based in the U.S., Tom is an artist, astronomer, scientist, photographer and keynote speaker. He founded Black Rock Observatory, the finest mobile observatory dedicated to public outreach in the world, and operates the hardest-working telescope in the business for Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

Mark Jackson
4 November 2017

Mark Jackson

Founder and CEO of Fiat Physica; Cambridge Quantum Computing

EveningGravitational Waves and the Future of Space Exploration

Mark is Founder and CEO of Fiat Physica, BDO at Cambridge Quantum Computing and Core Faculty at Singularity University. He organised the Dawn of Private Space Science symposium and sits on the board of the BoldlyGo Institute, a non-profit founded to address compelling scientific questions.

Jerome Glenn
28 February 2017

Jerome Glenn

Co-founder and director, The Millennium Project

EveningThe Millennium Project

Jerome co-founded and directs The Millennium Project, a global participatory think tank that has produced the State of the Future reports for more than 20 years. He invented the Futures Wheel, a futures assessment technique, and wrote the book Future Minds.

Simon Ings
17 February 2017

Simon Ings

Writer; arts editor of New Scientist

EveningMad Scientists: Lessons from History

Simon began by writing science fiction stories, novels and films, then widened his brief to perception (The Eye), radical politics (The Weight of Numbers), the shipping system (Dead Water) and augmented reality (Wolves). He co-founded and edited Arc magazine about the future before joining New Scientist as arts editor.

Moon Ribas
4 November 2016

Moon Ribas

Avant-garde artist and cyborg activist

EveningCyborgs, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Art

Moon is a Catalan artist best known for implanting an online seismic sensor in her elbow that lets her feel earthquakes through vibrations. Her choreography explores new movements created by new senses. She co-founded the Cyborg Foundation and Cyborg Nest, which help people become cyborgs and extend their senses.

Brett Schilke
4 November 2016

Brett Schilke

Director of Impact for youth and educators, Singularity University

EveningCyborgs, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Art

Brett is a self-termed educational anthropologist on a mission to explore, connect and inspire the world through powerful learning and shared experiences. He holds a degree in intercultural psychology from the University of Wisconsin and is fascinated by where education, technology and social impact meet.

George Musser
14 October 2016

George Musser

Contributing editor, Scientific American and Nautilus

EveningString Theory and Quantum Weirdness

George is a contributing editor at Scientific American and Nautilus, a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT and author of Spooky Action at a Distance and The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory. He has won awards from the American Institute of Physics and the American Astronomical Society, and was Scientific American's senior editor for space science and fundamental physics for 14 years.

Martin Roemers
7 September 2016

Martin Roemers

Artist and photographer, Delft, the Netherlands

EveningMetropolis: Mega Cities, Urban Realities

Martin studied at the AKI Academy of Visual Arts in Enschede. His work has long explored the lasting effects of warfare, and his Metropolis series has been exhibited at Huis Marseille in Amsterdam, the German Historical Museum in Berlin and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai.

John Smart
20 May 2016

John Smart

Global futurist, CEO of Foresight University

EveningAccelerating Change and the Future of the Universe

John is a global futurist, CEO of Foresight University and author of The Foresight Guide. He is the leading advocate of "STEM compression": the idea that the universe's most complex systems use progressively less space, time, energy and matter to create the next level of complexity.

Aubrey de Grey
23 March 2016

Aubrey de Grey

Biomedical gerontologist; Chief Science Officer, SENS Research Foundation

EveningFrom Regenerative Medicine to Rejuvenation Biotechnology

Aubrey is an English author and biomedical gerontologist, editor-in-chief of the journal Rejuvenation Research and co-author of Ending Aging. A TED speaker, he is known for his view that medical technology may enable people alive today to live indefinitely, and has been interviewed by CBS 60 Minutes, the BBC, the New York Times and TIME.

Jason Silva
10 December 2015

Jason Silva

Media artist, futurist and philosopher; Emmy-nominated host

EveningShots of Awe

Jason is a media artist, futurist, philosopher and keynote speaker, and the Emmy-nominated host of National Geographic Channel's Brain Games. He created Shots of Awe, a series of short films described as "trailers for the mind" on innovation, creativity, futurism and the metaphysics of the imagination, with more than 13 million views.

Nirmal Rajah
9 October 2015

Nirmal Rajah

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, Dubai

EveningFascinating Fossils

Nirmal has a bachelor's in zoology and a Masters in Biotechnology, and a lifelong passion for visiting fossil sites and collecting fossils. He has held exhibitions and workshops on palaeontology for colleges, schools and the general public.

Kevin Russell
4 October 2015

Kevin Russell

The Techno-Optimist; founder of Serious Wonder

EveningScience, Wonder, Awe

Kevin is a transhumanist, philosopher, futurist and researcher, founder of Simulet.com and Executive Director of Serious Wonder. He loves educating and debating positively about technology. Serious Wonder brings readers the best in futuristic ideas, technology, robotics, science, consciousness, philosophy, space travel, longevity and modern design.

Saeed Al Gergawi
28 August 2015

Saeed Al Gergawi

Space and future-science specialist, Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology

EveningSpace Exploration in the UAE

Saeed is on the strategic planning team of the UAE Mars Mission and leads education and media outreach. He works with universities on space science and engineering research so the UAE has excellent capabilities for future missions. He studied management at Eastern Michigan University and writes a column for Gulf News on science, technology and futurology.

Dr Donald Thomas
30 April 2015

Dr Donald Thomas

NASA astronaut

EveningAn evening with a NASA Astronaut

Selected by NASA in 1990, Dr Thomas became an astronaut in July 1991. A veteran of four space flights, he logged over 1,040 hours in space, served as spacecraft communicator for shuttle missions STS-47, 52 and 53, and as International Space Station Program Scientist overseeing NASA experiments on the station.

Keith Cobby
6 February 2015

Keith Cobby

Amateur astronomer and astrophotographer, Right Eye Astronomy

EveningStar-party: Jupiter at Opposition

Amateur astronomer, budding astrophotographer, lifelong sceptic and meteorite hunter. Keith has lived and worked in Dubai since 2000, volunteers and manages at Dubai Astronomy Group and presents Night Sky at Platinum Heritage. His interests include visual observing, telescope technology, the Moon, star clusters, meteors and asteroids.

Rouzbeh Bidshahri
6 February 2015

Rouzbeh Bidshahri

Astrophotographer, Deep Sky Awe Observatory

EveningStar-party: Jupiter at Opposition

Rouzbeh comes from an engineering background and has always been fascinated by photography. From monochrome film and darkroom prints in the late 90s he moved to astrophotography, with a dedicated observatory and self-built imaging equipment, capturing the faint and distant light of deep space.

David Smallpeice
6 February 2015

David Smallpeice

Amateur astronomer

EveningStar-party: Jupiter at Opposition

David's interest in astronomy began with the BBC's Sky at Night in the 1960s, and returned in 2003 with a visit to Cape Kennedy and the Internet providing fantastic views by the Hubble telescope.

Stephen Bonnar
6 February 2015

Stephen Bonnar

Physics teacher and astrophotographer, Right Eye Astronomy

EveningStar-party: Jupiter at Opposition

Steve began astrophotography when he started teaching astrophysics as a physics teacher. Since then he has spent countless hours among telescopes and cables, collecting light millions of years old. He still teaches physics and has lived in the Middle East for 8 years.

Amol Mane
6 February 2015

Amol Mane

IT manager and amateur astronomer

EveningStar-party: Jupiter at Opposition

Amol is an IT manager by day and an amateur astronomer by night. What fascinates him most is the sheer scale of the Universe and the progress humankind has made in understanding it. His love of astronomy shows in stargazing and, more recently, in capturing the night sky through astrophotography.

Stefan Zietara
6 February 2015

Stefan Zietara

Outreach volunteer, Dubai Astronomy Group; Night Sky presenter, Platinum Heritage

EveningStar-party: Jupiter at Opposition

Inspired by the moon landings, Stefan has been a self-taught visual observer since 1997 with a keen focus on sharing the night sky. He has introduced over 5,000 people to telescope views of the heavens and has lived and worked in Dubai since 2010.

Hasan Al Hariri
1 November 2014

Hasan Al Hariri

CEO and founder, Dubai Astronomy Group

EveningExploring the Universe

Hasan leads the Dubai Astronomy Group, an international organisation of more than 4,000 members that runs stargazing trips, training and astronomy camps. He is working with the government on the national observatory, co-established the Emirates Astronomy Society and Astronomy League, and is a well-known supporter of astronomy across the Middle East.

Pouneh Roney
26 September 2014

Pouneh Roney

Director, The Brain & Learning, the first brain training centre in the Middle East

EveningNeuro-education: The Brain and Learning

Pouneh has a Masters in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London and trained as a secondary maths and science teacher. After more than 14 years as a teacher and school leader in the UK and abroad, she took a Masters in Mind, Brain & Education at Harvard, to bring the latest cognitive neuroscience into how we learn and teach.

Adam Griffin
30 May 2014

Adam Griffin

Occupational therapist, Dubai Healthcare City

EveningThe Mars One Project

Adam is a graduate of Trinity College Ireland and an occupational therapist with a passion for evidence-based practice in healthcare. He works with families and young people dealing with physical disability, learning difficulties and mental health issues, and is a long-time member of the Cafe Sci family.

Mikolaj Zielinski
30 May 2014

Mikolaj Zielinski

Mars One candidate and Dubai resident

EveningThe Mars One Project

Mars One is a not-for-profit foundation working to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars using existing, tested technologies. Mikolaj is a Dubai resident who made it to the shortlist of candidates to be among the first to travel to Mars.

Chris McDermott
30 May 2014

Chris McDermott

Principal and CEO, GEMS International School, Dubai

EveningThe Mars One Project

Chris is an accomplished public speaker and published playwright, educated at Cambridge, London and Hull universities, and chosen as a National Leader of Education in England and Wales. At Cafe Sci he debates against the motion "This house would take a one-way trip to Mars."

Timothy Paul
27 September 2013

Timothy Paul

UAE Climate Change Leader; Sustainability Manager, Maersk Line

EveningRenewable Energy, Sustainable Planet

Timothy is the UAE Climate Change Leader for the Climate Reality Project and the Environment and Sustainability Manager for Maersk Line's West and Central Asia region. He runs climate seminars for businesses, schools and universities, and oversees energy efficiency, low-carbon leadership and marine protection across 22 countries.

Pull up a chair

Every guest starts as a conversation.

See the evenings they joined, or the rooms they filled.

See every eveningOpen the gallery