Professor David Robert Grimes is a scientist, broadcaster, and author. He is an internationally recognized expert in the public understanding of medical science, and has contributed to outlets including the Guardian, Scientific American, The New York Times, BBC, Financial times, Sunday Business Post, Irish Times, and many more. He appears frequently in news media, and his research focuses on public understanding of science, medical disinformation, research integrity, and mathematical modelling.

He gives keynote talks across Europe and North America, and is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. He is a recipient of the Nature/Sense about Science John Maddox Prize (awarded to figures such as Anthony Fauci) for standing up for science and an elected fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (Previous fellows including Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan), the only Irish person to have been awarded either of these international accolades.

He is the author of "The Irrational Ape – Why we fall for disinformation, conspiracy theory, and propaganda” (Simon & Schuster, 2019)" called “an unstoppable page-turner” by Richard Dawkins. He is well-known for his ability to communicate, and advises policy-makers around the world on how to combat disinformation and polarisation, in addition to consulting for major organisations worldwide.


Selected Keynotes / Speaking events 
 Irish Medical Organisation Keynote (Ireland, 2026)
 Skeptical Inquirer Keynote (USA, 2026)
 Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists keynote (Ireland, 2026)
 Allied Irish Bank “Wait a sec, double check” fraud spokesperson (Ireland, 2025)
 Bord Gais Keynote (Ireland, 2025)
 BBC World Weekend panellist (Worldwide, 2013- Present)
 Resident Disinformation Expert on The Pat Kenny show (Ireland, 2024-2026)
 British Society of Neuro-radiologists keynote (UK, 2024)
 Royal College of Physicians in Ireland Keynotes (Ireland, 2024)
 CSICon with Neil De Grasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins (Las Vegas, 2022)
 United Nations Keynote Session (Vienna, 2022)
 American Association for Cancer Research Keynote (2022)
 Library Services Ireland (Multiple, 2022-Present)
 In conversation with Tim Minchin (UK, 2021)
 Vodafone UK Keynote (Vodafone UK, 2020)
 Engineers Ireland Keynote (Ireland, 2019)
 Disinformation and critical thinking keynotes at University hosted events including Princeton
University (USA), Oxford University (UK), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Chalmers (Sweden),
McGill University (Canada), and UNAM (Mexico).

Prof. David Robert Grimes

Award-winning Scientist, Broadcaster and Author

An engaging communicator with the ability to translate complex science into actionable insights, Professor Grimes is sought after by corporations, leadership forums, and international conferences looking to strengthen strategic thinking, resilience in the information age, and evidence-driven leadership.

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Professor David Robert Grimes is a scientist, broadcaster, and author. He is an internationally recognized expert in the public understanding of medical science, and has contributed to outlets including the Guardian, Scientific American, The New York Times, BBC, Financial times, Sunday Business Post, Irish Times, and many more. He appears frequently in news media, and his research focuses on public understanding of science, medical disinformation, research integrity, and mathematical modelling.

He gives keynote talks across Europe and North America, and is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. He is a recipient of the Nature/Sense about Science John Maddox Prize (awarded to figures such as Anthony Fauci) for standing up for science and an elected fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (Previous fellows including Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan), the only Irish person to have been awarded either of these international accolades.

He is the author of "The Irrational Ape – Why we fall for disinformation, conspiracy theory, and propaganda” (Simon & Schuster, 2019)" called “an unstoppable page-turner” by Richard Dawkins. He is well-known for his ability to communicate, and advises policy-makers around the world on how to combat disinformation and polarisation, in addition to consulting for major organisations worldwide.


Selected Keynotes / Speaking events 
 Irish Medical Organisation Keynote (Ireland, 2026)
 Skeptical Inquirer Keynote (USA, 2026)
 Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists keynote (Ireland, 2026)
 Allied Irish Bank “Wait a sec, double check” fraud spokesperson (Ireland, 2025)
 Bord Gais Keynote (Ireland, 2025)
 BBC World Weekend panellist (Worldwide, 2013- Present)
 Resident Disinformation Expert on The Pat Kenny show (Ireland, 2024-2026)
 British Society of Neuro-radiologists keynote (UK, 2024)
 Royal College of Physicians in Ireland Keynotes (Ireland, 2024)
 CSICon with Neil De Grasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins (Las Vegas, 2022)
 United Nations Keynote Session (Vienna, 2022)
 American Association for Cancer Research Keynote (2022)
 Library Services Ireland (Multiple, 2022-Present)
 In conversation with Tim Minchin (UK, 2021)
 Vodafone UK Keynote (Vodafone UK, 2020)
 Engineers Ireland Keynote (Ireland, 2019)
 Disinformation and critical thinking keynotes at University hosted events including Princeton
University (USA), Oxford University (UK), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Chalmers (Sweden),
McGill University (Canada), and UNAM (Mexico).

Key Speaker Topics

Critical Thinking in the Age of Misinformation

  • How misinformation spreads — and why smart people fall for it

  • Cognitive biases that undermine decision-making

  • Practical tools to improve judgment and evidence-based thinking in organisations

Evidence-Based Leadership & Decision-Making

  • Using scientific thinking to make better strategic decisions

  • Avoiding groupthink, hype cycles, and false certainty

  • Creating cultures where evidence beats opinion

Risk, Uncertainty & Managing Complexity

  • Understanding uncertainty and probability in business decisions

  • Why intuition often fails under pressure

  • Lessons from science and medicine for managing risk and ambiguity

Media Literacy for Leaders & Teams

  • How to assess information quality in a noisy digital environment

  • Understanding how social media amplifies false narratives

  • Tools for leaders to protect teams from misinformation

Psychology of Belief & Behaviour

  • Why beliefs are hard to change — even with facts

  • The emotional drivers behind persuasion and resistance

  • Applying behavioural insights ethically in leadership and communication

Ethics, Science & Social Responsibility

  • The role of science in shaping responsible leadership

  • Ethical decision-making in times of crisis

  • Standing up for evidence in politicised or high-stakes environments

 

Popular Recent Talks: 

  • Situation critical - how critical thinking can save your life, and save the world
  • Antisocial media - why the internet makes us more divided and less informed, and how we can change it
  • Healthy skepticism & the cult of Wellness - How wellness can make us sicker and poorer, and how to keep ourselves healthy and sane
  • Lies, damned lies, and statistics - From AI to sports, how numbers mislead us, and how we can master them
 
"Incredible morning on Friday - I loved the conversation and so did all our staff.  There was so much talk about it afterwards!"
"Deeply entertaining and profoundly thought-provoking"
"David is brilliant and really captivated the audience".    
 

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