STEAM Room 2023 Applications

ARE YOU READY TO GET STEAMY?!

In 2022 we transformed seven brave scientists into stand-up comedy sensations, performing at the Sydney Comedy Festival and Splendour in the Grass, and in 2023 we're looking to do it AGAIN!! Applications are now open for anyone working in science, technology, engineering, maths, or medicine to be part of The STEAM Room 2023!

We are looking for applicants who are passionate about their work and looking to bring it to a wider audience. Whether you’re an established professor, a budding PHD candidate, or STEM professional who hasn't been back to uni in years, we want to hear from you!


Applications close on the 26th of September so scroll down to apply!

STEAM Room Training

As part of The STEAM Room program you'll get the opportunity to completely reinvent your communication style with an 8 session program of mentoring and workshops from professional comedians and science communicators, including our science daddy, Dr Karl!

Watch the video to see what amazing skills previous STEAM Room scientists got out of the program.

Perform live on stage

In 2022, The STEAM Room enjoyed SOLD OUT shows at the Sydney Comedy Festival performing to over 800 people, joining the stage with established comedians, including Bec Melrose and AJ Lamarque, along with Dr Karl.

We are still deciding where we will take The STEAM Room in 2023, but rest assured, we will be hitting some amazing venues and festivals!

Where has The STEAM Room performed in 2022?

Sydney Comedy Festival

The Comedy Store

Splendour in the Grass Science Tent

Australian Museum Jurassic Lounge

What are you waiting for?

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

The STEAM Room is committed to diversity and we strongly encourage individuals of every race, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, and age to apply to be a part of the show!


Please email l.steller@unsw.edu.au if you have any questions about STEAM Room applications.

The STEAM Room in the Media

ABC Science Radio National

Royal Society of Chemistry Article

Inspiring NSW Newsletter Article

Macquarie University Press

Testimonials from previous STEAM Room Scientists

I signed up for this program on a whim and I had no idea the massive impact it would have on my life. Learning how to do standup comedy introduced me to a whole new world of communication and taught me the importance of editing! I’ve been places and tried things I would never have pictured and I have so much more confidence than I had when I started (back then I was faking it - now I feel it!)

Sam Young, PhD


There are rare moments in life that dreams come to fruition, and The STEAM Room did that for me. To make a room of 600 laugh and cheer will be an all time high in my life, and I can't wait to keep using the skills I learned to get me there

Simone Herrmannsen



Being selected to ‘stand up’ my science in the STEAM room was pretty amazing. I am super enthusiastic when it comes to outreach and communicating science, and this opportunity was an avenue I had never considered. My comedy experience was zero, other than heading to a few shows a year at the Melbourne Comedy festival…and here I was in 2022 launching my comedy career at the Sydney Comedy Festival to over 500 people! I could not have done this without the training, mentoring, and guidance from Scary Strangers and the STEAM room gang. This is a great opportunity for any scientist to hone skills and really step outside of the box.

Associate Professor Michelle Power, Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University

Being part of the STEAM Room has led to a seismic change in perspective. While I was never petrified of public speaking, if you had told me one year ago I'd be telling jokes about my research to an audience of over 500 I'd have said that you were having me on. Learning about the art of stand up from such an excellent array of teachers has led me to reconsider the manner in which I present, and I believe that will be a skill I will keep with me for the rest of my career - even if I never take the stage again.

Isabelle Capell-Hattam, Scientia PhD Candidate at UNSW


The STEAM Room is made possible with the generous support from the Big Questions Institute.