History of The Story Collider

In 2010, physicists Ben Lillie and Brian Wecht hosted the first Story Collider show in New York City. Ben soon recruited storyteller and “Very Much Not a Scientist” Erin Barker, and together the three founded Story Collider as a nonprofit in 2012, with the goal of revealing the vibrant role science plays in all of our lives through true, personal storytelling.

New York remains the site of our flagship show, but Story Collider has since grown to include Home Stages in cities around the world, along with a weekly podcast that has been downloaded more than 14 million times. Over the years, we also expanded our story coaching work into a robust Education program offering workshops, seminars, and coaching, with former executive director Liz Neeley playing a key role in its development.

Today, Story Collider is led by co-directors Lindsay Cooper and Misha Gajewski, who guide the organization’s creative, editorial, and strategic direction. Erin Barker continues to play a central role in the organization’s work, including podcast production and storytelling programming.

The Story Collider is proud to collaborate with partners such as the Scientist Spotlights Initiative and Boise State University on projects that examine belonging in STEM. In 2022, Story Collider was honored by the Anthem Awards for this work.

Select Media Mentions

Empowering engineering students through storytelling - The Conversation, September 2024

Forging personal connections with science through storytelling - Nature, March 2023

7 Podcasts About the Wonders of Science - New York Times, January 2021

Here’s an ‘article’ accelerator that produces the funny, dramatic side of science - Washington Post, October 2019

Select SCHOLARLY Publications

Sickler, J., & Lentzner, M. (2022). The audience experience of science storytelling: impact profiles from a Q methodology study. Journal of Science Communication, 21(01), A03. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.21010203

Zaringhalam, M., Wu, K. J., Barker, E., Neeley, L. (2021, December 12). At The Story Collider, reimagining what science can be. SACNAS. https://medium.com/stem-and-culture-chronicle/at-the-story-collider-reimagining-what-science-can-be-4c57f7377312

Neeley, L., Barker, E., Bayer, S. R., Maktoufi, R., Wu, K. J., & Zaringhalam, M. (2020). Linking Scholarship and Practice: Narrative and Identity in Science. Frontiers in Communication, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00035

Schinske, J., Cardenas, M., & Kaliangara, J. (2015). Uncovering Scientist Stereotypes and Their Relationships with Student Race and Student Success in a Diverse, Community College Setting. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 14(3), ar35. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-12-0231

Schinske, J. N., Perkins, H., Snyder, A., & Wyer, M. (2016). Scientist Spotlight Homework assignments shift students’ stereotypes of scientists and enhance science identity in a diverse introductory science class. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15(3), ar47. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-01-0002