Natalia Pasternak Taschner

Natalia Pasternak Taschner (born May 15, 1976) is a Brazilian microbiologist, author, and science communicator. She is the first president of the Instituto Questão de Ciência (IQC) (English: Question of Science Institute). She was director of the Brazilian arm of the science festival, Pint of Science (2016–2019), columnist for the Brazilian national newspaper "O Globo", for The Skeptic magazine (UK), and Medscape (WebMD). She also hosts two weekly radio shows “The hour of Science” at Brazil's CBN national radio station. Taschner is also the publisher of Brazil's first magazine on critical thinking, Revista Questao de Ciencia.

She contributes as a visiting professor at the Public Administration School at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, São Paulo, as well as a research collaborator at the University of São Paulo. She is the first Brazilian to be named a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) in the United States, in honor of her remarkable contributions to the advancement of science, skepticism, and critical thinking. She was named Brazilian of the year in Science by IstoE Magazine in 2020 and again in 2021. She was named Personality of the Year by the Group of Latin America Daily Newspapers and awarded the Ockham Award from The Skeptic magazine for her efforts to promote skepticism and rational thought in Brazil.

[https://www.editoracontexto.com.br/produto/ciencia-no-cotidiano-viva-a-razao-abaixo-a-ignorancia/2788127 Science in our Daily Lives], which received Brazil's National Literature prize for best science book in 2021 ([https://www.premiojabuti.com.br/premiados-por-edicao/premiacao/?ano=2021&eixo=03b7f793-10a1-eb11-b1ac-002248374496 Prêmio Jabuti)], and [https://papirus.com.br/produto/contra-a-realidade-a-negacao-da-ciencia-suas-causas-e-consequencias-2/ Against Reality: Science Denialism, Its Causes and Consequences], are two of her books on science popularization. She is the only Brazilian on the BBC's list of the 100 most influential women in 2021, and she is now an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's Center for Science and Society, thanks to Professor Stuart Firestein's offer. Her research focuses on ways to enhance science communication and battle denial and disinformation, as well as bringing scientific thought to future policymakers and assisting in the establishment of a worldwide partnership for evidence-based global policies. Provided by Wikipedia