Kate Biberdorf

Professor and Director of Demonstrations and Outreach Department of Chemistry, University of Texas

Dr. Kate Biberdorf is a professor and director of demonstrations and outreach for the Department of Chemistry at University of Texas in Austin. She loves to break stereotypes and blow things up—all in a good pair of heels. Her theatrical, hands-on approach is designed to excite those who are intimidated by science, and demonstrate that science can be entertaining and fun. Noting that there are obstacles facing many women who pursue careers in STEM fields, she is especially interested in inspiring young women to pursue careers in science. Biberdorf has appeared on a wide variety of television shows including The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBC Nightly News, the Wendy Williams Show, the Rachael Ray Show, and Late Night with Stephen Colbert. A prolific author, she has penned many books including Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments, a collection of 25 kid-friendly science experiments, Dragons vs. Unicorns, a novel about a young female scientist, and It's Elemental: The Hidden Chemistry in Everything, which examines how we experience science every day of our lives. She delights audiences with the magic of chemistry. Her repertoire of on-stage experiments includes combustion, and shows often end with her dumping a vat of hot water into a bucket of liquid nitrogen, creating an epic thunder cloud. Biberdorf holds a BS in chemistry and German from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in inorganic chemistry from The University of Texas.