Vanessa Hill (born 3 March 1987[2]) is an Australian television presenter and science communicator who is best known for her YouTube series BrainCraft. Hill has hosted a PBS series of the same name since 2014.
Vanessa Hill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 3 March 1987 Sydney, Australia |
| Citizenship | Australian |
| Education | University of New South Wales (BSc) Australian National University (MSc) |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, science communicator |
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Subscribers | 616 thousand[1] |
| Total views | 29.5 million[1] |
| Website | https://www.nessyhill.com |
Early life and education
editHill was born in Sydney, Australia and developed her interest in science while walking dingoes around Taronga Zoo.[3] In 2008, Hill graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Bachelor of Science and then completed a Master of Science Communication at the Australian National University.[4] She is pursuing a PhD at Central Queensland University and has published papers on bedtime procrastination.[5]
Career
editIn 2008, Hill began working for CSIRO, a federal government agency for scientific research as an educator.[6] In 2013, she won the CSIRO medal for excellence and hosted a series on DIY Experiments for the agency.[7][8]
In 2014, Hill was hired by PBS after presenting her idea for BrainCraft as a stop-motion science series.[9] She further collaborated with PBS and Screen Australia in 2017 to direct and host Mutant Menu, a global exploration of new gene editing technology that was PBS Digital Studio's first long-form documentary, and in 2018 for Attention Wars, an online exploration of the behavioral psychology behind social media.[10][11]
Hill is a host of the ABC series Sciencey and appears as a regular guest on ABC Radio, Dear Hank & John, DNews and SciShow.[12]
In 2019, Hill was announced as a AAAS Women in STEM ambassador and was represented in the largest collection of statues of women ever assembled at the Smithsonian Institution.[13][14]
YouTube
editHill created her YouTube channel BrainCraft in 2014. BrainCraft is part of the PBS Digital Studios network. Her videos address phenomena related to memory, sleep, brain hacks, and the science of food.[15]
Hill has been outspoken about the hateful comments directed towards women on YouTube.[16] In 2018, Hill was featured in New York Times and Washington Post reports about new research that found women on YouTube receive a higher proportion of critical comments about their appearances.[17][18] She also hosted the Crash Course Public Health series on YouTube.
References
edit- ^ a b "About BrainCraft". YouTube.
- ^ "Vanessa Hill | Producer, Director, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "S1 Ep2: Science trek: the next generation". 3m.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "BrainCraft Host and Video Producer, Vanessa Hill". Careers with STEM. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Time to put the phone down – bedtime procrastination is real". CQUniversity Australia. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "BrainCraft Host and Video Producer, Vanessa Hill". Careers with STEM. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "CSIRO Medal for Support Excellence". CSIROpedia. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Bondar, Carin. "The Brains Behind BrainCraft : Meet Vanessa Hill". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Manager, General; web.science@anu.edu.au. "Craft your interests into a career". scienceprod2.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "PBS Digital Studios Announces the Premiere of MUTANT MENU, an Immersive Look into Genetic Engineering | PBS About". PBS Digital Studios Announces the Premiere of MUTANT MENU, an Immersive Look into Genetic Engineering | PBS About. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Screen Australia announces $2 million for seven documentaries". Screen Australia. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "The Science Show with Robyn Williams". ABC listen. 19 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ "125 Women in STEM Selected as AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Tu, Jessie (14 February 2022). "Largest collection of statues of women ever assembled, honouring 120 STEM scientists". Women's Agenda. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ "YouTube Channels You Must Follow To Get A+ On Finals". Harvard Blockchain Lab. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "BrainCraft: Explaining your behaviors that you don't even understand". The Daily Dot. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Jeffries, Adrianne (13 July 2018). "Women Making Science Videos on YouTube Face Hostile Comments". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Rothschild, Anna. "So you want to be a science YouTube star..." The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 March 2020.