Kirsten Sanford, Ph.D.
At the intersection of science, media, and the institutions that shape both.
“New media is going to be a very valuable tool for all sorts of communication purposes — whether for communicating a scientific finding to the public, supplementing classroom teaching, or even between scientists.”
— Kirsten Sanford, Ph.D., BWFKirsten Sanford is a neurophysiologist, science media entrepreneur, and institutional program architect. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology from UC Davis, specializing in learning and memory, and serves as Co-Founder and EVP of the Association of Science Communicators.
In 2026, she was appointed to the Media/Communications seat on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Government-University-Industry-Philanthropy Research Roundtable (GUIPRR), where she sits alongside university presidents, federal agency heads, and philanthropic CEOs working to strengthen the U.S. research enterprise.
Sanford founded This Week in Science in 1999 — predating the invention of podcasting — and has produced it continuously for over 26 years. As an AAAS Mass Media Fellow, she produced science and medical news at WNBC New York alongside Dr. Max Gomez, one of the most decorated science journalists in American broadcast history.
She has been commissioned by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund for video production, conference programming, and expert contributions to their career development publications, and has produced science communication media for the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, and PeerJ.
Through Broader Impacts Productions, LLC, she partners with R1 universities, research institutions, science foundations, and government agencies to design science communication programs, build conference infrastructure, and train researchers to communicate with precision and public impact.
Credentials
Trusted across sectors. Sought by name.
What colleagues and collaborators say about working with Kirsten.
I worked with Sanford in her capacity with the Association of Science Communicators to plan and run a national meeting. Sanford is smart, organized, capable, hardworking. Knows when to be hard-nosed and when to compromise. She is sufficiently detail-oriented to ensure that things run smoothly, but never descends into micro-managing. She expects good work from her collaborators, and leads by example.
Kiki was one of my favorite contributors to our Science Channel show, Brink. Her luminous on-camera presence, bursting creative energy and rare ability to make complicated science accessible to a broad audience made her an amazing addition to our team.
Dr Kiki has interviewed me twice. Her interview style is great — she is well informed on a very wide range of science, generally knowledgeable, quick on the uptake, and is able to put guests at ease. Watch her — she is going places!
Via LinkedIn Recommendations
Ready to build something that matters?
All engagements begin with a consultation. The conversation starts the same way.
Schedule a Consultation →