Professor Kit Yates is a world-renowned mathematical thinker, best-selling author, and dynamic public speaker who transforms the complex world of numbers into a powerful toolkit for everyday decision-making, resilience, and personal growth.
As a Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath, Kit bridges the gap between elite academia and real-world human experience. He holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and frequently serves as a media commentator for the BBC, The Guardian, and The Independent. Kit delivers high-energy keynote speeches that use data, biology, and human behaviour to deliver insightful lessons for performance.
He is the author of You Don't Know What You're Missing : uncovering how the things we don't see influence human behaviour and determine success, How to Expect the Unexpected: A masterclass in the science of predictions and the psychology of probability. And The Maths of Life and Death : A Sunday Times Science Book of the Year translated into 25 languages. It explores how mathematical principles shape law, medicine, and may of our everyday experiences.
Kit is one of the core scientists that forms Independent SAGE, providing independent scientific advice to policy makers and the public.
He’s a knowledgeable and authoritative speaker, bringing wit and wisdom to any conference or after-dinner event.
KEYNOTES
NAVIGATING THE UNKNOWN: The Art and Science of Prediction and Why Certainty is Overrated
Core Message: Learn how to build resilient strategies when everything feels unpredictable.
Key Takeaways: Discover why major predictions fail, how to distinguish blind luck from real patterns, and how to build a practical framework for calculating risk in your professional and personal life.
WHY SMART PEOPLE MAKE BAD DECISIONS
Core Message: Protect yourself from media manipulation, statistical sleights of hand and the biases you didn’t even know you had.
Key Takeaways: Real-world case studies demonstrating how distorted statistics sway public opinion. Audiences walk away with a "mathematical detective" mindset to slow down, interrogate data, and expose hidden assumptions.
YOU DON´T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE MISSING: Uncovering Blind Spots
Core Message: Some of the biggest risks and opportunities aren't hidden in the information we have, but in the information we don't have. Master the art of seeing what isn’t there to learn how our blind spots shape decisions, predictions and innovation.
Key Takeaways: Learn why people, teams and whole organisations miss crucial information, how hidden assumptions lead to systemic problems, and how to spot blind spots before they cause you to make costly errors.
Testimonials
"Super-smart and as readable as a great whodunit... Kit is the King of Accessible Maths."
— Jeremy Vine, BBC Broadcaster & Journalist