Alaina Levine

Alaina G. Levine, CSP, is a professional speaker, science writer, career and speaking coach, TEDx speaker, and author of books, including Networking for Nerds, which beat out Einstein for an award (REALLY!), and Create Your Unicorn Career. As an expert in STEM workforce and career development, she travels the planet teaching people how to create your own Unicorn Careers - the customized and authentic careers that bring you joy, meaning, and money - and collaborating with organizations who want to recruit, retain, and grow their STEM talent and leverage the power of their STEM unicorns. NASA said “she is worth her weight in gold!” She has spoken 1000+ times for clients in 35 US states, 16 nations and on 5 continents, and has written 500+ articles for publications like Scientific American, National Geographic News Watch, and the World Economic Forum, including her 3 year column, Your Unicorn Career, which was published in Science Magazine. She has been featured in Inc., Psychology Today, Discover, Science, Nature, the Seattle Times, and many other media. Alaina is the winner of over 20 business awards, including the Tucson Leader of the Year award (previously bestowed upon a former US Surgeon General), the Johnson Lecturer in Science Communications at Penn State University, and the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the National Speakers Association for excellence in public speaking. She is also the author of two courses on career development for Oxford University Press and recently co-authored an essay in Nature Biotechnology about the role of philanthropy in STEM career development. Previously, Alaina managed a master's program in science and business and launched and taught a grad course in entrepreneurship for scientists at the University of Arizona. She studied at the American University in Cairo as a US Department of Defense Boren Fellow, and holds bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and anthropology from the University of Arizona.