Science talks & science comedy

Sydney Comedy Festival

Future Science Talks: Comedy Edition is returning to the Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 after sold out shows across Australia.

We have shows at the Factory Theatre (May 11 & 12) and a show at the Manning Bar (May 18).

15 scientists are in the shows. They have partnered with comedians to infuse humour and laughs into scientific talks. Laugh and learn at the same time!

At each show, you’ll be hearing from Sydney’s best and brightest young and emerging science professionals.

Each talk is on a unique topic. No two talks are the same!

Speaker information is below.

Sydney Comedy Festival Speakers

Saturday 11 May at 5pm (Factory Theatre)

  • Murad Tayebjee, UNSW: Solar technology

  • Kainat Fatima, UTS: Health

  • Danni Holmes, UNSW: Quantum computers

  • Morgan Bucknor, Charles Perkins Centre: Prenatal development

  • Geosim Turpin, University of Sydney: Nanoparticles

Sunday 12 May at 4:00pm (Factory Theatre)

  • Marilia Fernandeserickson, Maquarie University: Butterflies

  • Holly Stemp, UNSW: Quantum computers

  • Vince Mitchell, University of Sydney: Consumer behaviour

  • Leena Nguyen, UNSW: Vision

  • Neale Siebert, UNSW: Climate laws

Saturday 18 May at 5:30pm (Manning Bar) - Sydney University Special

  • Matthew Rahme, University of Sydney: Gases

  • Yuktee Gupta, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems & University of Sydney: Computers

  • Saoirse Connor Desai, University of Sydney: Beliefs & psychology

  • Nate Zettna, University of Sydney: Organisational behaviour

  • Jingjing You, University of Sydney: Health

EOI is always open for scientists & researchers in Sydney

If you’re a scientist, researcher or a technical expert (consultant, IT professional, etc), then join the Science Comedy Program for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feature the Sydney Comedy Festival.

This program is a tonne of fun and will help you to advance your career!

Fill in our EOI form if you are interested in joining the Science Comedy Program. We will likely be opening a new program in Sydney soon - anyone who puts in an EOI now will be at the top of the line. We will the program on a first come, first serve basis.

In this program, you will participate in a series of workshops that will help you to strengthen your presentation skills and help you to weave humour into your talks.

The program is nation-wide, so if you live in another part of Australia and you’re interested in participating, we also recommend you fill out the EOI.

For additional information, see testimonials and FAQs below, or visit our program page.

What program participants say

  • "Incredibly professional and helpful. Performing was unreal. "

    Hannah Kunst

  • "Great program connecting scientists to amused audiences."

    Sally Hurst

  • "Super fun and I learned heaps! Great experience."

    Lorenzo Logi

  • "Dave is a really nice and supportive facilitator."

    Taylor Szyszka

  • "I learnt a lot and had an awesome time doing it!"

    Joel Raymond

  • "It was fun and a great way to meet diverse, intelligent people!"

    Amanda Khoury

  • "A blast! I highly recommend this program"

    Lachlan Gray

  • "A very cool way to learn some skills for future presentations."

    Zoe Xirocostas

  • "This program helped me get on the National Science Quiz!"

    Paige Erpf

  • "Very fun to present my research in this way."

    Toby Kovacs

  • "This program gave me so much! I can apply these tools to any talks."

    Inna Osmolovsky

  • "So much fun to weave jokes into my science talks."

    Faraidoon Haghdoost

  • "Such a unique experience being able to feature in a comedy show."

    Tanja Rosenqvist

  • "I really enjoyed the experience - would recommend it!

    Kovi Rose

  • "This was a lot of fun. Great way to learn some new skills."

    Jared Bergman

  • "A great way to present my science and research."

    Levi Tegg

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FAQs

  • The program is designed with a busy working professional in mind.

    Your time will be spent on working on your presentation and attending several workshops.

    There are 5 workshops of various length. They focus on different elements such as storytelling, joke writing, body posture when presenting, thinking quickly on your feet, handling nerves, and even how to hold a microphone like a pro!

  • We designed the program to be free for participants. Particularly as we are trying to generate opportunities for early to mid-career professionals.

    Unfortunately, when the program was completely free, some people signed up but then flaked out.

    We are now requesting a very small and mostly symbolic workplace contribution to ensure participants are committed. For PhD Candidates, we understand that this may be challenging and we have mechanisms to support you. It is also okay to self-fund if this is your preference.

  • Absolutely not. Well, chances are you are already funny in certain situations - such as with your good friends. We will work with you and show you techniques that will enable you to harness this side of yourself so that you shine when on stage.

    There is a science behind comedy, and we will teach this to you.

  • Not at all. Most people in our program do not have a lot of public speaking experience.

    The program is designed for those who are interested in upskilling their speaking ability.

  • It’s very easy - fill in the EOI and we will be in touch. The EOI takes about 60 seconds. We generally contact applicants on a first come, first serve basis. So we recommend you apply early.

  • Now. The EOI only takes 60 seconds. We contact applicants on a first come, first serve basis. We will contact you as soon as a Science Comedy Program opens in your area.

Join the Science Comedy Program Now