Dr. Julia Shaw: Psychological Scientist
Dr. Julia Shaw is a psychological scientist and keynote speaker on memory, criminal psychology, digital ethics, and workplace culture.
- Highlights:
- Psychological scientist at UCL; expert on memory and criminal psychology.
- Co-founder of Spot, improving reporting and inclusion at work.
- Keynotes on memory hacking, cybercrime, moral blind spots, AI and memory, and workplace reporting.
- Author of The Memory Illusion, Making Evil, and research on identity and bisexuality.
- Formats:
Keynote 45–60 min, executive briefings, fireside Q&A, workshops on memory, bias, and culture.
- Audiences:
Business leaders, risk and compliance, HR and L&D, product and data teams, legal and public sector leaders.
- Outcomes:
- Understand how memory works, fails, and can be protected in high-stakes settings
- Improve reporting culture and reduce barriers to speaking up
- Navigate AI, digital identity, and misinformation with science-based practices
- Travels from: London, UK
- **Fee range: On Request
Keynote Topics
Making Evil
The Curious Science Behind Cybercrime, Moral Blindness & False Memories
In this keynote, speaker Julia Shaw explores the darker side of tech. She discusses the ways in which criminology and psychology help us understand cybercrime, how business structures hide our humanity, and how misinformation can turn into false memories.
She forces us to think about how Facebook curates peoples’ reality, and the tremendous responsibility that comes with this privilege. This thought-provoking talk also encourages us to think deeper about our morality, and how we can use tech and social media to help overcome some of humanity’s greatest threats.
The Future of Memory
Can artificial intelligence contribute to how we remember our lives?
In this keynote, speaker Dr. Julia Shaw introduces her latest cutting-edge research on how to remember any life event forever. Based on artificial intelligence and the latest cognitive science, Julia shows the audience how to go from a human brain to an artificial brain.Can memory be hacked? Is it possible to download or upload our memories?
Technology is tremendously influential in our possibilities to document our lives and remember our memories. With new technologies, new ways of manipulating memories also emerged. Speaker Dr. Julia Shaw will show the audience how to protect themselves with the right tools. Join Julia to be both terrified and astonished by the future that awaits!
Upgrade Your Workplace Culture
How should we talk about discrimination and harassment at the workplace?
Is it possible to encourage a culture of discourage? According to the research by speaker Dr. Julia Shaw, anonymous reporting is the key to tackle workplace discrimination and harassment. She designed this presentation to show any audience the latest scientific research on the matter. Julia will specifically focus on solutions to improve how we report and deal with this issue.
Julia will explain the best ways to preserve and extract emotional memories in a reliable way. It is tremendously important to talk about transgressions: to decrease barriers to reporting, she will show you the best reporting practices based on the latest research.
The Memory Illusion
Speaker Dr. Julia Shaw offers this keynote do demystify memory and reveal a system which is far more flawed than we might think. She will challenge our sense of self and show the beauty of our brain’s imperfections.
Memory is more than what we think of it: it allows us to learn, be creative and solve problems. In this talk, Julia will explore why memories paint an inaccurate picture of our past and the strategies to avoid common memory illusions. She leaves the audience with insightful takeaways and an important existential question: how can we know who we are, if we cannot trust our memories?
Talent Short Bio
Dr. Julia Shaw is an established psychological scientist at University College London whose work spans memory science, criminal psychology, digital ethics, and identity in the age of social media. She is known for translating rigorous research on memory formation and false memories into clear, useful insights for leaders and teams.
Julia is also the co-founder of Spot, a reporting platform that helps organizations address discrimination and harassment through science-based tools and anonymous reporting. Her keynotes include The Memory Illusion, Making Evil, The Future of Memory, and Upgrade Your Workplace Culture. She has authored bestselling books and contributes to mainstream media on psychology and society. Based in London, she speaks worldwide.
Read Full Bio
Dr Julia Shaw is an internationally renowned psychologist working extensively in the areas of memory and criminal psychology. A published author, TEDx speaker and senior lecturer, Julia’s insightful contributions have been featured across the mainstream media as a leading authority on psychological science. As a speaker, Julia offers an experienced and perceptive analysis of human behaviour, social concepts and cognitive understanding, making her one of the most impressive psychology keynote speakers on the circuit.
She is best known for her work in the areas of memory and criminal psychology. In 2017 Dr Shaw co founded the memory science and artificial intelligence start-up Spot. Spot helps employees report workplace harassment and discrimination, and empowers organizations to build a more inclusive and respectful work environment.
Born in Germany and raised in Canada, Julia pursued further education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, before completing a combined Masters in Psychology and Law at Maastricht University, Netherlands. With her ambition of becoming a revered figure on the subject, Julia went on to secure a PhD in Psychology, allowing her to lecture across the world. From Canada to London, Julia’s expertise has influenced the education of students and academics across the globe, making her a supreme international authority in psychology.
In 2016 she published her bestselling book “The Memory Illusion“, which has been translated into 18 languages. Her second book, due in 2019 is entitled “Making Evil: The Science Behind Humanity’s Dark Side”. Dr. Shaw is also a regular contributor to the popular science magazine Scientific American, hosting a series on how our memories can mislead us called “Memory Mondays”.
Dr. Julia Shaw consults as an expert on criminal cases, delivers police training and military workshops, has evaluated offender diversion programs, and works to ensure best practices for dealing with vulnerable populations in business settings. She is also on the board of the European Association of Psychology and Law.
Her work has been featured in outlets such as Discovery Channel, BBC, CNN World, Der Spiegel, Russia Today, New York Magazine, The Times, The Telegraph, NPR, The Daily Mail, Pour le Science, and The Sun.
Most recently, in 2022, Julia has focused her research on bisexuality, having published her book Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality. In her research, Julia is aiming to explore sexual orientation and create understanding and empathy for all people who identify that way.
Winner of two teaching excellence awards, Julia Shaw is a fascinating keynote speaker armed with decades of psychological research and innovative concepts on the mind and human behaviour.
Julia Shaw strives to form more tolerant, respectful and inclusive working places and environments. She is co-founder of the memory science and artificial intelligence start-up Spot and she assists employees report discrimination and workplace harassment, issues of racism, sexism, etc.
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Talent Videos
Dr. Julia Shaw Showreel
A rapid, high-impact reel showcasing Julia’s science-backed keynotes on memory hacking, criminal psychology, and the future of memory—designed for conference planners and corporate events.
Read Summary & Key Moments
Summary
This showreel introduces Dr. Julia Shaw’s core themes and speaking style. She invites audiences into “the weird world of memory hacking,” explaining how memories are constructed, why they’re prone to distortion, and how that matters for investigations, culture, and everyday decisions. Brief clips highlight her ability to translate complex research on false memories, moral blind spots, cybercrime, and AI-era identity into practical takeaways for leaders and teams.
The reel emphasizes her blend of academic rigor and clear storytelling, with examples that make psychological science immediately useful in workplaces (from interviewing and reporting to decision quality in ambiguous situations). It also signals range: keynotes for general leadership audiences; deeper sessions for legal, compliance, and risk; and future-facing talks on AI and digital memory. The pacing, music, and on-stage footage position Julia as an energizing, credible voice who leaves audiences with science-based tools and memorable, shareable ideas.
Key Moments
00:00 Cold open and hook: the strange, fallible nature of memory
00:18 False memories explained and why confidence is not accuracy
00:45 Practical impact for interviews, investigations, and HR processes
01:10 Tools to reduce bias and noise in documentation and decisions
01:34 Shift to digital ethics: identity, AI-driven misinformation, safety
02:02 Case snippets that translate research into workplace practice
02:32 Audience reactions and on-stage energy underscore engagement
03:04 Planner outcomes: clear takeaways, culture and risk benefits
03:35 Booking cue and final title card
You can't trust your memory | Interview with Dr. Julia Shaw
In a 13:31 studio interview, Dr. Julia Shaw explains how false memories form, why confidence is not accuracy, and how to protect decisions that rely on human recall.
Read Summary & Key Moments
Summary
Dr. Julia Shaw sits down with the Skavlan team to unpack why human memory is reconstructive rather than a perfect recording. She explains that each act of remembering is a rebuild that mixes real details with inference and suggestion. This malleability means people can become confident in events that did not happen or in distorted versions of what did. She outlines everyday pathways to false memory, including leading questions, social influence, repeated retelling, and exposure to plausible details after the fact.
Julia stresses that confidence, vividness, and emotion do not guarantee accuracy. The safer approach is to treat memory as a clue that needs corroboration. She offers practical steps for interviews and investigations: ask open questions, avoid leading language, separate witnesses, record accounts early, and document exact wording. She also notes that the entertainment context can amplify myths about memory, so it is important to teach the public how recall really works. Throughout the segment, she keeps the tone friendly and clear, engaging fellow guests as she translates lab findings into everyday advice for leaders, journalists, and anyone who relies on testimony.
Key Moments
00:22 Core idea: memory is reconstructive, not a recording
01:05 How false memories arise through suggestion and retelling
02:00 Confidence and vividness are unreliable indicators
02:40 Everyday examples where recall goes wrong
03:25 The role of leading questions and social influence
04:10 Why separating witnesses and early documentation matter
04:52 Open questions vs closed or leading prompts
05:35 Emotional memories and why they still distort
06:20 Media and culture myths about perfect recall
07:05 Practical tips for interviews and investigations
07:48 Note-taking and preserving original wording
08:30 Memory in workplaces and reporting processes
09:12 When to seek corroboration and objective evidence
09:58 Dialogue with fellow guests on everyday implications
10:40 Caution on mixing opinion with memory in public debate
11:22 Protecting fairness in sensitive cases
12:10 Takeaway: treat memory as a clue, not proof
12:55 Closing exchange and booking cue
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