Meet the who’s who of SciTok.
Plenty of the sci-comm stars featured on The Brilliant have made their mark on TikTok, including Dr Fenwa Milhouse at Your Favorite Urologist, Maynard Okereke of the Hip Hop Science Show, Dr Derek Mueller at Veritasium and Vanessa Hill.
With huge audiences that hang on their every word, here is the new crop of SciTokers who are taking the platform by storm.
The Wildlife Twins are sisters Soph and Bridge from Ballina, NSW, who turned a chance phone call about orphaned dingo pups into a business that rescues native wildlife. They deliver educational shows for schools and community groups starring their menagerie of rescued critters.
@thewildlifetwins Benefits of having Pies in your backyard! 🦅🦅🤘🤘 – Snake alert system (for free), can extent to deterrent many system or consuming system. – Insect management (free) – Visual entertainment (free) – Creating wild natural background noise (free) 👍👍😎😎 I would say that’s a great deal! #thewildlifetwins #pies #magpies #australia #australianwildlife #wildlifeeducation #lgbtq #fypシ #foryoupage #notapet #conservation
♬ original sound – Soph and Bridget
Jacob Suissa and Ben Goulet-Scott met in an evolutionary biology class at Harvard University. They’ve launched an educational non-profit that uses platforms like TikTok to make plant biology more accessible and entertaining without compromising on the scientific rigour.
@letsbotanize A pretty, pink, poisonous plant! #letsbotanize #ricin #ricinuscommunis #euphorbiaceae #spurge #letsbotanize #plants #botany #plantbiology #science #nature #outdoors #scicomm #evolution #ecology #biology #STEM #Naturephotography
♬ original sound – Let’s Botanize
Darrion Nguyen puts his dual loves of biochemistry and theatre to work producing TikToks under the moniker Lab Shenanigans, pulling in campus and lab colleagues for kooky collabs.
@lab_shenanigans shout out to all the other extras on set 😮💨
♬ original sound – renaissance tour
Dr Kylie Soanes is working to restore biodiversity to urban environments. On TikTok, she’s sharing videos of her team installing floating wetlands on Melbourne’s Yarra River.
@drkyliesoanes Update on Melbourne’s wonderful floating wetlands. We’ve got Attenborough-esque battles for survival, nesting swans and bits of crab. you heard that right – BITS OF CRAB! These wetlands were installed along the Birrarung-Yarra by the City of Melbourne, built by WET Systems, and are studied by researchers at the University of Melbourne. We designed them specifically to provide habitat for wildlife in the more urban parts of the river. #ecologist #wildlifeconservation #urbangreening
♬ Coming of Age – Blondes
By day, Alexis Walker works in biotechnology for Tempus Labs in Illinois, but after hours, she’s a STEM super-promoter on TikTok. She posts tips for women who are interested in a career in STEM, with an emphasis on life-long study, both in and outside the university system.
@alexisnwalkerr more tips for my science recent grads looking for careers postgrad that aren’t medical school 🙂 #postgradlife #postgraddiaries #postgradjobs #recentgradlife #jobhuntingtips #linkedintips #linkedintipsforstudents #notgoingtomedicalschool #notpremedanymore #sciencemajor #biologymajor #neurosciencemajor #stemtok
♬ No Lyrics – Kilo G
Curtis Chan is a PhD Student whose research explores HIV prevention, and who unpacks the latest as well as the funniest research papers in the sexual health field on his TikTok series, and gives helpful advice to fellow students on the benefits of seeking feedback and criticism for better research and writing outcomes. You can hear more of Curtis on Episode 14 of the ResearchBytes Podcast.
@curtisxchan My god this is was hard to read. #research #phd #academia #uni #university #doujinshi #qualitativeresearch #postgrad #shota
♬ original sound – Curtis Chan, PhD Student
Sarafina Nance is a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley who makes great content about her two passion subjects: astrophysics and educating women on the importance of testing for the breast cancer-contributing BRCA gene.
@starstrickensf My memoir, for my dad, out 6/6 from @Dutton Books. #fyp #booktok #spacetok #brca #siswimsuit #memoir #authorsoftiktok #nonfictionbooks #nonfiction #nonfictionreads #womeninstem #cancer #breastcancerawareness💕 #brca
♬ original sound – Sarafina El-Badry Nance
Another PhD student, Andreea publishes TikTok videos under the hashtag #steminist. She discusses her research at the University of Toronto and offers advice to undergrads and international students who are navigating the Canadian university system, using her experience as a ‘first-gen’ student – a term she uses to describe first-generation immigrants and those who are the first in their family to undertake tertiary education.
@ada_miza Are plants the new babies? #plantbiology #learnontiktok #scitok #biologymajor #planttoktok
♬ plant – draffish
Neel Wanders is a biologist and environmental consultant from the UK who has turned his love of blogging into a career as a digital content creator. He’s not afraid to address the trolls who didn’t like his videos showcasing “gay nature facts” (such as the green anole lizard, which has both male and female sex organs, and same-sex elephant couples).
@neel_harry Pride month is needed. So tired of this. #pridemonth #lgbtq
♬ original sound – Neel
Joel Bervell always manages to look laid back and stylish in his wry TikTok observation pieces. Bervell enjoys medical myth-busting, amassing pop-star level followers and working with them to achieve better health outcomes.
@joelbervell Can duct tape really help remove warts? Yes- Its actually true! #weirdmedicalfacts #ducttape #medicine #doctor #blacktiktok
♬ original sound – joelbervell
And of course, some of our favourite TikTok content is coming from the social media teams of zoos around the world, including these accounts from…
San Diego Zoo, which has cornered the market in cutesy voiceovers for their critters, and in jumping on TikTok-trending sounds the moment they happen.
@sandiegozoo Fun fact: the Safari Park is the only place you cab ser plapitypuses outside of Australia. @ze frank #platypus #sdzsafaripark
♬ original sound – ze frank – Creepy Dave Store
San Antonio Aquarium knows what audiences love: the animals’ feeding time features heavily in their content.
@sanantonio_aquarium Would you want to hold an otter hand ?! #otter #zoo #zookeeper #popular
♬ Popular – From “Wicked” Original Broadway Cast Recording/2003 – Kristin Chenoweth
Toronto Zoo’s orangutan Sekali recent gave birth to a baby boy, and they’ve taken over the TikTok account with more cuteness than you can handle.
@thetorontozoo Tummy time 🧡🦧🍼 #babyorangutan #orangutan #babyanimals #endangeredspecies #wildlife #tiktokanimals #torontozoo
♬ Sweet Disposition FeelingBlew – Feelingblew
Oregon Zoo shares punchy data collection and research stories among the cutesy critter videos.
@oregonzoo This high-tech egg could help save California condors from extinction #egg #tech #conservation #condor
♬ Lofi Vibes – Gentle State
Are there science or STEM creators on TikTok who you’re enjoying? Let us know!
Written by: Cris Kennedy
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