Joel Gilmore’s Home

I generally count myself as a good speaker, and I (usually!) put a lot of time into preparing and practising my talks. I also really appreciate it when I hear a talk from a really excellent speaker, and hence I’m compiling a Great Speakers list.

I want to put here people who I wouldn’t want to miss under any circumstances. Most of these will be of the “public lecture” type, as in, you don’t need any particular background knowledge to enjoy their talks. These could be speakers who are entertaining, informative or life changing - but in every case they’re people I’d go out of my way to see, and I hope you might too.

(In the interest of politics, if your name’s not here, that doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re a good speaker! It might just be you’re more specialised. Or it might mean I’ve forgotten you! )

This page is still under construction; I’ve only put down a few names so far!

• Michael Nielsen, University of Queensland.Quite aside from being brilliant, he always gives entertaining and very accessible talks. His academic talks are exceptional, and his public lectures are always worth attending.
• Jack Pettigrew, UQAn exceptional speaker, on neuroscience and “perceptual rivalry”. His talks are just incredible - interactive, exciting and inspring - and his research is just as incredible! An absolute must-see.
• David Chalmers, Australian National UniversityHis Matrix as Metaphysics talk is not to be missed! A philosopher who actually makes convincing arguments
• Charley Lineweaver, ANUAstrobiology, cosmology, planetology - what more could you want? Entertaining and fascinating.
• Geoffrey Goodhill, UQFascinating work on neuroscience and modelling the brain.
• Justin Marshall, UQTop class presenter, and his research into vision is fascinating. Definitely worth it! (Some of my thoughts on his talk and research are on Illuminating Science.
• Joe Wolfe, UNSWPhysics and music - what a fascinating combination! His talks are fun, interesting and interactive. You can check out some of his group’s work here.
• Eric Mazur, HarvardEngaging speaker and brilliant educator - I would have loved to be in his physics classes!
• Ian Fraser, UQ, 2006 Australian of the YearI had the opportunity to hear him speak (and have dinner with him!) recently, and he is an entertaining and engaging speaker. He is the creator of a (at least partial) vaccine for cervical cancer, and is involved in other research into cancer prevention.
• Ben Hankamer I haven’t actually heard him speak, but feedback from many people says he’s excellent. Certainly, his research into “BioHydrogen” - producing hydrogen for fuel from bacteria, as a clean alternative to fossil fuels - is fascinating and exciting!