Martin Chalfie is the corecipient, with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien, of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Chalfie received a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Harvard Universityin 1977. In 1982 he became a professor of biological sciences at Columbia University in New York, where he did the research that led to his Nobel honour. He became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2004. Chalfie and his corecipients were awarded a Nobel Prize in 2008 for their work in the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a naturally occurring substance in the jellyfish Aequorea victoria that is used as a tool to make visible the actions of certain cells. Their work with GFP opened a vast set of opportunities for studying biological processes at the molecular level.

Carl Zimmer is a columnist for the New York Times, where his "Matter" column appears each week. In addition he writes for magazines such as National Geographic, Wired and Discover and is the author of a dozen books. He is a fellow at Yale University's Morse College. In 2016, Zimmer won the Stephen Jay Gould Prize, awarded annually by the Society for the Study of Evolution to recognize individuals whose sustained efforts have advanced public understanding of evolutionary science. Additionally, Zimmer has earned awards from the National Academies and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his science writing.

An award-winning producer and director, Wendy Ettinger co-founded Chicken & Egg Pictures in 2005 which has awarded $5.4 million in grants and thousands of hours of mentorship to over 250 women nonfiction filmmakers over the past ten years. In 2013 she co-founded Gamechanger Films, the first equity fund dedicated to financing feature films directed by women. With Gamechanger she was Executive Producer of such films as Land Ho, directed by Aaran Katz and Martha Stephens(Sony Pictures) and the Invitation by Karyn Kusama. As a producer, Eye of God (Sundance Film Festival) and Hotel Gramercy Park (Tribeca Film Festival), and The War Room, the Academy Award®-nominated documentary directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker. An ardent activist Wendy believes in the power of change through media, education, and the arts. She serves on the Board of The Educational Foundation of America, The 52nd Street Project and Imagine Science Films.

In addition to being a visual artist and filmmaker, Barbara Visser is the interim Artistic Director of the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA). Visser has participated in the Bienal de Sao Paulo, Brazil (2006), Manifesta, Trento, Italy (2008), Architecture Biennale, Dutch Pavillion, Venice, Italy (2010), Art Biennale, Dutch Pavillion group show (2011). In 2011 and 12 she's written and directed the film C.K. (2012). Awards for her work include the Dutch Cultural Media Fund Documentary Award (2010), the dr. A. H. Heineken Award for art and science (2008) , David Roell Prize 2007 from the Prins Bernhard Foundation (2007). Since 2014 she is appointed as a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts. Barbara Visser is represented by Annet Gelink Gallery in Amsterdam.

With a background in neuroscience and creative writing, Greg Boustead has brought sophisticated science content to broad audiences for over 15 years, across many platforms — including writing, video and live events. In 2015, he helped launch Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to inspiring a deeper interest in science, especially among those who don't think of themselves as science enthusiasts. As program director, Boustead oversees the initiative's strategy and funding decisions. Before joining the foundation, he was editorial producer for the World Science Festival, producing their live science events and overseeing editorial for the organization's website. Previously, Boustead was senior editor of the science and culture magazine Seed, and he has contributed as a freelancer to VICE, Motherboard and Scientific American.

Ben Lillie is a high-energy particle physicist who left the ivory tower for the wilds of New York's theater district. He has a B.A. in physics from Reed College, a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Stanford University, and a Certificate in improv comedy from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. He co-founded The Story Collider, where people are invited to tell stories of their personal experience of science. He is also a Moth StorySLAM champion and a Contributing Editor for TED.com. Most recently, he has founded Caveat.

Michelle is the Coordinator for Artist Programs at Tribeca Film Institute (TFI). Before joining TFI, she worked at SnagFilms programming and marketing the company's site and platforms as well as working to build Indiewire's video presence. Michelle studied film and literature at Soka University of America and went on to pursue her M.A. in Cinema Studies at NYU. As a native of California, she dreams of foggy days on the beach with her dog, but loves her life in New York very much.