5 things to know about Hannah Fry, Tableau Conference keynote speaker

We’re thrilled to welcome Professor Hannah Fry to the keynote stage at Tableau Conference in May. As we gear up for TC22, here’s what you need to know about the mathematics professor, best-selling author, popular podcaster, and BBC radio host. 

1. She predicts the future

Well, sort of. Her 2018 BBC Four documentary, Contagion, used contact and movement data to simulate how a fictional pandemic would spread in the UK—two years before the COVID-19 pandemic turned our lives upside down. 

2. She created The Joy of Data, and one of the best books written on data and algorithms

Hannah Fry’s books include: 

Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine received high praise from The Times, which declared it “one of the best books yet written on data and algorithms.” Sold! 

Rutherford & Fry’s Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything tells the “complete story of the universe … skipping over some of the boring parts.”

The Indisputable Existence of Santa Claus: The Mathematics of Christmas. This doesn’t really require an explanation, does it? 

The Mathematics of Love reveals patterns in love that can be explained from math. Hannah illuminates the book’s salient points in her same-titled TED Talk: 

3. She breaks down topics like AI and everyday science mysteries in her podcast and radio show

Together with geneticist and fellow science sleuth Adam Rutherford, Hannah investigates listener’s vexing mysteries in their popular BBC Radio Four show, The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry. If you’ve ever wondered how we see color (or, ahem, colour), if a venomous snake will die if it bites itself, or why people like to be scared, take a listen. 

In DeepMind: The Podcast, Hannah delves into artificial intelligence and the extraordinary ways it’s transforming our world—from the potential of advanced problem-solving systems known as artificial general intelligence (AGI) to what it takes to build AI so it helps, not harms, society.

4. She studies patterns in human behavior

A professor in the Mathematics of Cities at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College of London, Hannah studies patterns in human behavior, particularly in urban areas—from shopping and transportation to riots and urban crime. The Centre’s expert team, comprised of mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, architects, and geographers, has partnered with government, police, and health officials (and supermarkets!) to apply its research.

5. She can peel an orange

Professor Fry is known for the way she breaks down complex topics for people everywhere. Take, for example, Gaussian curvature and the Euler Spiral, explained by way of … an orange peel. 

Register for Tableau Conference to hear from Hannah and other data leaders. In the meantime, here’s a little extra credit assignment to better acquaint yourself with Professor Fry: 

Follow Hannah Fry on Twitter @FryRsquared
Take a listen to Hannah on the DeepMind podcast
Binge Hannah’s Numberphile explainer videos