Dr Isabelle Kingsley

SPEAKER & SCIENCE COMMUNICATOR

USING SCIENCE
TO TRANSFORM HOW YOU THINK

I teach people how science actually works, and how that can transform the way they think about the world and their own lives.

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Speaking Services

Science is messy, unpredictable, uncertain, and driven by curiosity.

And that's exactly what makes it powerful.

I help people, young and not-so-young, to apply that same approach to school, work, and their everyday lives.

School

Talks

Excite your students with a choice of two talks: a curriculum-aligned look at how science really works through storytelling, or how to think about their own careers by using a scientist's curiosity to navigate the unknown.

Science talk: Years 5-12 · Careers talk: Years 10-12

Conferences and

TEDx-style Events

Book an engaging keynote speaker for your next conference or event. As seen on the TEDx stage, I use the same thinking that drives real science to help audiences transform how they think: leading with curiosity, embracing uncertainty, being critical, and making better decisions in everyday life.

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Careers and Workplace Events

Bring a proven, repeat-booked keynote to your next workplace event or conference. I help teams and professionals bring a science mindset to their careers: staying curious, letting a goal guide their next move, and embracing uncertainty instead of fearing it. Perfect for staff days and team development events.

Hi, I'm Dr Isabelle Kingsley

About me

I'll start by introducing myself with a confession: I was a science teacher who didn't understand how science is done.

I had a science degree, years in the classroom, and kids I was teaching to memorise the "right" science answer. Then, on a field trip to the Australian outback, everything I thought I knew got turned on its head.

Surrounded by geologists, biologists, and chemists debating how life on Earth began, I realised I'd had it wrong the whole time. Real science isn't about finding the single "right" answer using a rigid, step-by-step method: the scientific method. It's about letting curiosity guide the messy journey, using evidence, and sitting with not being sure you have the answer. That realisation changed everything, and it's the idea I've built my career on ever since.

Today, I'm a keynote speaker, science communicator, and researcher. I hold a PhD on how doing real science transforms how people think, and I've spent my career translating that research into talks, academic papers, and frameworks for organisations including the Australian Government and UN Women.

I've taken the stage at TEDx, spoken in countless schools to students at all year levels, and delivered keynotes at conferences and workplace events in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US. Whether I'm talking to students, professionals, or leaders, the message is the same: approach school, work, and everyday life with the same thinking that drives real science. Lead with curiosity, weigh the evidence, enjoy the messy journey, and embrace the uncertainty. I'm also a regular panellist and moderator, so if you need someone to run a discussion as well as headline one, I'm your person.

Before all this, I was a high school teacher and university lecturer, which probably explains why I still can't resist a good "I wonder" question. If I'm not on a stage, I'm likely deep in field notes for my next book, or still trying to convince Australians that Canadians don't actually say "sorry" that much (sorry, we do).

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