Richard Wiseman

Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as an award-winning professional magician, and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. He then obtained a first class honours degree in Psychology from University College London and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Edinburgh. 

For the past fifteen years he has been based at the University of Hertfordshire, and in 2002 was awarded Britain's first Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology.

Prof Wiseman has established an international reputation for his research into unusual areas of psychology, including deception, luck and the paranormal. He has published over 50 papers in refereed academic journals, including articles in one of the world’s most respected science publications, Nature.

He has given invited addresses and keynote speeches in Britain and abroad, including to The Royal Society, The Royal Society for the Arts, Microsoft, Caltech, and The Royal Institution.

Prof Wiseman’s research has been featured on over 150 television programmes, including Horizon (BBC), Body Shock (Channel 4), 20/20 (ABC), and Dateline (NBC). He is regularly heard on BBC Radio 4, including appearances on ‘Start the Week’, ‘Midweek’ and ‘The Today Programme’. Feature articles about his work have regularly appeared in The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, and a recent poll revealed that he was the psychologist most frequently quoted in the British media.

Prof Wiseman has written three best selling books. The Luck Factor presents a comprehensive account of his ten-year research project into the psychology of luck. This book has now been published into 14 languages and published in over 25 countries. Quirkology, examines the curious psychology of everyday life, including laughter, lying, and love. His most recent book, 59 Seconds, investigates the science of self-help and rapid change.A passionate advocate for science, Prof Wiseman is well known for his media appearances, high-profile talks, live performances, and large-scale studies. He has been invited to speak at The Royal Society, Microsoft, Caltech, and The Royal Institution. Over 1 million people have taken part in his mass participation experiments, and his YouTube channel has received over 8 million views. Prof Wiseman also regularly acts as a creative consultant for print, broadcast and new media.

His work has been supported by grants from several prestigious organisations, including The Perrott Warrick Fund (Trinity College Cambridge), The Leverhulme Trust, The Wellcome Trust, and The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

Prof Wiseman was the recipient of The CSICOP Public Education In Science Award in 2000 and the Joseph Lister Award For Social Science in 2002. In 2004 he was awarded a NESTA DreamTime Fellowship for his innovative work in science communication, and in 2005 served as President of the General Section of The British Association for the Advancement of Science.