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Kirsten "Dr. Kiki" Sanford, PhD

Dr. Kiki is dedicated to making science accessible.

She is recognized as one of the top science media personalities in the nation, having produced and hosted programs featuring scientific luminaries such as James Watson, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Brian Green, Lisa Randall, Leonard Susskind, and Michio Kaku among others.

Dr. Kiki holds a doctorate in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology (emphasis in Neurobiology) and a Bachelors degree in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology from the University of California, Davis, and is a specialist in learning and memory.

She is the founder and host of the popular This Week in Science podcast and radio show, a weekly program broadcast by the This Week in Tech (TWIT) Network and KDVS 90.3 FM at U.C. Davis, and avidly followed by thousands of fans worldwide.

Additionally, Dr. Kiki produces and hosts Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour, a weekly in-depth science-focused interview program, and previously produced the TWIT Network's top 25 green tech innovators series with Becky Worley, Green Tech Today. Until the birth of her first child, she was a regular co-host on Tech News Today with Tom Merritt.

Working to promote engaging science education materials beyond the internet, Dr. Kiki is the creative director, writer, and host for an international collaboration by The Video Project developing supplemental video materials about coral reefs for classroom use: Climate Change and Coral Reefs: Comprehensive Classroom Resource and Exploring Coral Reefs: Reproduction and Survival

In 2005, Dr. Kiki was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship. Following the fellowship, she worked as a television news producer at WNBC in New York City with noted health and science reporter Dr. Max Gomez. Later, Dr. Kiki expanded her communications work into online video, starring in both On Networks successful series Food Science and Revision3's variety show PopSiren. She also appeared regularly on Revision3’s Systm, and hosted several episodes of MacBreak during PixelCorp’s coverage of the MacWorld conference.

She worked as reporter-at-large for the Science Channel and as a contributor to their show, Brink, and has appeared on CBS’s The Doctors.

In her spare time, Dr. Kiki has dabbled in sailing, gymnastics, martial arts, hula hooping, and yoga. She enjoys bird-watching, cooking, reading fiction novels, watching movies, dancing to loud music, and a nice glass of red wine… not necessarily in that order or at the same time.

Dr. Kiki's Homepage

Dr. Kiki on Twitter

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