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Hannah Critchlow is an internationally acclaimed neuroscientist, broadcaster and Fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, recognised for transforming complex neuroscience into practical strategies for leadership, resilience and personal development. Blending cutting edge research with engaging storytelling, Hannah has become one of the UK’s leading female motivational speakers, helping audiences understand how the brain influences decision making, performance and collaboration. Alongside her academic work, she advises businesses including asset management firms, facilitates live scientific discussions, judges prestigious science book and film prizes, and coaches researchers to communicate with greater impact. Her expertise bridges science and real world performance, making her an inspiring voice for organisations navigating change and innovation.
Hannah’s passion for neuroscience began during her studies, where she earned three University Prizes as Best Biologist before undertaking a doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. Her doctoral research into dendritic spine plasticity in schizophrenia led to a Research Fellowship at Magdalene College, laying the foundations for an outstanding academic career. Alongside her research, she broadened the impact of neuroscience through science policy and public engagement, completing an internship at the University of Oxford before taking strategic leadership roles with Cambridge Neuroscience and the British Neuroscience Association. She also secured a Wellcome Trust Society Award to develop neuroscience programming with The Naked Scientists, bringing scientific discoveries to audiences across the BBC and international broadcasters.
As Hannah’s profile grew, she became a familiar face and voice across television and radio. She has appeared on BBC, ABC and Korean television and radio, including Family Brain Games with Dara Ó Briain, Tomorrow’s World Live, Great Minds and BBC Radio 4 programmes such as Destiny and the Brain, Start the Week, The Life Scientific, Good Reads and Great Lives. Her bestselling books, including ‘The Science of Fate’, ‘Joined Up Thinking’ and ‘The 21st Century Brain: How to Future-Proof Your Mind in the Age of AI’, have earned widespread acclaim, with multiple Sunday Times bestsellers, international translations and recognition from New Scientist. Her achievements have also been recognised through an Honorary Doctorate from Brunel University, membership of the European Dana Alliance for the Brain, inclusion among the UK’s Top 100 Scientists and Cambridge University’s most inspirational women in science, while she is due to receive the Rosalind Franklin Medal from the Humanist Society in 2026.
Hannah is hired as a female motivational speaker because she demonstrates how neuroscience can unlock greater potential in individuals, teams and organisations. Her presentations combine evidence based research with practical insights into creativity, resilience, communication, collective intelligence and adapting to rapid technological change. Whether discussing leadership, the future of work, artificial intelligence or human behaviour, she equips audiences with actionable strategies grounded in scientific understanding. Hannah’s engaging delivery, exceptional communication skills and ability to inspire curiosity empower people to think differently, embrace uncertainty and build stronger, more collaborative futures with confidence.
Hannah Critchlow is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“Hannah is a top professional – diligent and easy to work with. Hannah has the ability to simplify complex neuroscience into content that is easily digestible. She delivered a fantastic session full of knowledge and practical ideas for leaders to take away and use immediately.”
“We’ve worked with Hannah for 4 years….she has an exceptional ability to communicate complicated ideas about science and technology in a way that speaks to the general public and to schools audiences. She’s lectured about developments in neuroscience at Hay several times to audiences of 1,000 and 1,750. It’s a scale that’s challenging for most teachers. She works the space like a rockstar. Each time she has had the highest possible response rating from the audiences, both from students and from professional adults.”
“Hannah was one of our favourite ever speakers at 5×15- she’s dynamic, and an incredible communicator of complex and profound ideas. She wowed our audience in Hackney with her laughing rats and astounding insights into the human brain- we can’t wait for her to come back to join us again.”
“Hannah Critchlow is the most brilliantly engaging speaker. She wowed a Shambala crowd of 200 at the festival in 2018, and we couldn’t wait to have her back this year. One of our absolute highlights of last year.”
“Hannah gave a talk at the How To Academy’s annual Conference on How To Change the World and she was absolutely fabulous. It was a totally inspiring talk that had the audience completely rapt. She is the most brilliant communicator of science.”
“The human brain is one of those subjects of such forbidding complexity that anything less than a clear, engaging, approachable and intelligent talk would leave an audience staring blankly at an imponderable galaxy of neurons and synapses. Hannah Critchlow’s lecture, to several hundred A-level Biology students, more than exceeded these testing requirements. She has the rare and important quality of being able to distil even the most recondite ideas for an audience beyond the laboratory and in doing so reminding a young audience that scientific inquiry is for anyone who is curious. It’s particularly exhilarating to see a group of students being guided expertly through the great leaps in understanding made in neuroscience, to learn about the truly wondrous advances still to be made and perhaps to wonder if they could be the ones who will be making the discoveries of the future.”
“Hannah has been a leading presenter at the Cambridge Science Festival for many years, and thousands of people from schools and family audiences have really enjoyed her interactive demonstration lectures. Hannah’s clear and lively communication style has brought the subject of neuroscience alive and her popular talks have received great feedback. Hannah also carried out a number of thoughtful and targeted public engagement activities with community groups including Squeaky Gate, a charity empowering people including those with mental health issues through arts and music.”
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