James Kakalios

In addition to being a mild-mannered physics professor, Dr. James Kakalios is an award-winning, internationally recognized expert on Superhero Science. Dr. Kakalios is the Taylor Distinguished Professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy and the author of four popular science books: "The Physics of Superheroes," "The Amazing Story of Quantum Mechanics," "The Physics of Everyday Things," and his latest book, "The Physics of Superheroes Goes Hollywood." He has given hundreds of fun and engaging public presentations to audiences whose age ranges from eight to eighty. Using humor and wit, he explains real science using superhero comic books as examples – focusing on those cases where the heroes get their science right!

Dr. Kakalios’ science communication efforts have been recognized by national awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Physics, and the American Association of Physics Teachers (previous winners of these awards include Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, and more). He served as the science consultant for the Warner Bros. superhero film "Watchmen" (his short video, “The Science of Watchmen,” won a Regional Emmy award) and the Sony film "The Amazing Spider-Man." His YouTube videos, discussing the physics in superhero movies, have garnered millions of views.

Dr. Kakalios has been invited to inspire audiences at schools, commencement ceremonies, and STEM-related private industry meetings as the keynote or after-banquet speaker, including the 92nd Street Y, Library of Congress, ComicCon International, and more. His talks are not just entertaining, but also educational. He has been reading comic books longer than he has been studying physics!