Rae Pendergrass

About Rae

Rae Pendergrass (they/them) is a science communicator, performer, and edutainment producer who has worked with everyone from National Geographic to National Lampoon. They specialize in taking complex, nuanced, highly-technical topics and finding fun, approachable, easy-to-digest ways of communicating them.

In addition to being the communications liaison for ESnet at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Rae is also:

• One of the producers/hosts of Nerd Nite DC, an irreverent, informal lecture series that takes place in a packed nightclub;

• The creator/host of Solve for X, a variety show where professional performers use science as a prompt for performance;

• A former performer, host, and story screener for the science storytelling show Story Collider;

• The former assistant director of the science track at Dragon Con, a gigantic multi-genre pop culture convention;

• A regular guest lecturer at Georgetown University, where they teach science policy students about the importance of storytelling and humor in communication.

• A “biological entity” who is “pretty good at writing jokes”, according to the Washington Post.

Other credits include: Popular Science, TEDx, HowStuffWorks, The Smithsonian, and Atlas Obscura.