Dr. Raven Baxter on stage for Princeton University's Amplifying Voices Distinguished Lecture

Book me: Speaking

Keynotes, distinguished lectures, panels, and commencement addresses. I’ve reached tens of millions of people from stages and screens, Pfizer’s Science Will Win to TEDx, Princeton, Disney, and PepsiCo, and I bring every room the same thing. Science, said out loud, with joy. If your audience should leave loving science, book me.

contact@thesciencemaven.com

Washington, D.C. · Keynotes, lectures, panels & commencements · In person, virtual, or hybrid, worldwide · Fees shared on inquiry

Watch me on stage

Prefer a full, unedited talk? Princeton, Amplifying Voices Distinguished Lecture (1:22) · SciComm 2020 opening keynote (54 min)

On tour

Keynotes, distinguished lectures, and conversations, on the road through 2027. Your institution belongs here.

Feb 2026Oklahoma Research Day KeynoteTahlequah, Oklahoma
Mar 2026Science Talk 2026 KeynotePortland, Oregon
May 2026Distinguished Alumni PanelUniversity at Buffalo, New York
Fall 2026Statewide KeynoteNew Yorkup next
Spring 2027Distinguished LectureGeorgiato be announced
Spring 2027Distinguished LectureCaliforniato be announced

Signature talks

The Molecules Running Your Everyday Life

Wonder, delivered at the molecular scale

There is chemistry in your coffee, your hair, and the smell of the air after it rains, and everyday life gets a lot more fun once you can see it. I walk audiences through the molecules behind an ordinary day the same way I do for the people who follow me online, keeping the science honest and the delight up front. People leave noticing the science in things they had stopped noticing at all.

Made for · Corporate events, general audiences, museums and festivals, and any room that wants to fall back in love with how things work

  • The molecular stories behind coffee, hair, soap, and the smell of rain
  • A feel for how scientists chase a mechanism, from question to answer
  • Permission to be delighted by things you see every day
Take Up Space

You Don't Look Like a Scientist, my TEDx talk

'You don't look like a scientist' is a sentence I heard for years, and eventually it became my TEDx talk. This keynote is my story, from failing out of college to earning a Ph.D. to reaching millions of people with science, and what it taught me about who feels welcome in this field and how to make more room. It's personal and honest, and it sends people home with clear ways to open the door for someone else.

Made for · Universities and colleges, people and culture leaders, STEM programs, and commencements

  • Why representation changes who tries science in the first place
  • What belonging looks like in labs, classrooms, and teams, in practice
  • Ways to open doors from whatever seat you hold
In Science We Trust?

Trust is built by communicators, one audience at a time

Public trust in science is earned the same way trust is earned anywhere. You show up, you speak plainly, and you respect the people in the room. I've studied this as a science communication researcher and lived it with tens of millions of people online and with teams at Pfizer and the FDA. In this talk I get specific about what earns an audience's trust and the habits that quietly erode it, with examples from campaigns, clinics, and comment sections.

Made for · Pharma and biotech communications, public health teams, research institutions, and science media

  • What builds trust with an audience, and what quietly erodes it
  • How culturally responsive communication works on the ground
  • Ways to put evidence in people's hands instead of asking for belief
What Your Science Communication Is Missing

An outside look at how organizations talk about their science

I've advised leaders across education, government, universities, and industry, directed science communication inside academic medicine, and worked with teams at Pfizer and the FDA. From that seat you start to see the same gaps everywhere. Brilliant research nobody hears about, communicators without support, audiences an organization swears it can't reach. In this talk I share what the strongest science organizations do differently and where to start in yours.

Made for · Executives and deans, communications and public affairs leadership, and federal and nonprofit leaders

  • The gaps that show up again and again in science organizations
  • What the organizations that communicate well do differently
  • A place to start in your own organization, whatever your seat

Selected stages

Nov 2026
Science Teachers Association of New York
Keynote
Mar 2026
Science Talk '26 · Association of Science Communicators
Opening Keynote
Nov 2024
Virginia Tech · Hugh & Ethel Kelley Distinguished Lecture
Distinguished Lecturer
Jun 2024
PepsiCo · Juneteenth
Corporate Keynote
Apr 2023
The Walt Disney Company · JEDI Program
Keynote
May 2023
SUNY Buffalo State · 151st Commencement
Commencement
Sep 2022
Princeton · Amplifying Voices
Distinguished Lecturer
Apr 2022
NSTA National Conference
Closing Keynote
Sep 2020
TEDx · “You Don't Look Like a Scientist!”
TEDx Talk
Dr. Raven Baxter is a revelation, or rather, a whole host of them! During my decade of work in and around science communication, I've had the privilege to learn from many outstanding speakers, but none can match the insight, inspiration, education, entertainment, and sheer joy Dr. Raven shares with her audiences.
Jocelyn BosleyResearch Impact Coordinator · University of Nebraska–Lincoln
You did an amazing job! Your interview is now its own stand-alone segment.
Hope NashSegment Producer · Red Table Talk
Her ability to authentically connect with audiences makes her ideal for any event. I cannot recommend Dr. Raven enough!
Evan YoungPepsiCo
Dr. Baxter has gained a reputation as a legacy science communicator, demonstrating what an inclusive, engaged, and authentic science community can look like.
Katrina BrooksAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
Her energy, expertise, and thoughtful comments were truly uplifting.
Megan LitwhilerMuseum of Science, Boston
Trusted by
Dr. Raven Baxter speaking with a microphone to an audience at Oklahoma Research Day, Northeastern State University
Oklahoma Research Day · Northeastern State University
Science, said out loud.

Let's get you on the calendar

Tell me about your event. The audience, the date, and the message you want your people to leave with. I read every inquiry myself and reply by email.

contact@thesciencemaven.com

Let’s work

How can I help?

I look forward to working with you,