Steven Novella, M.D. is the JREF's Senior Fellow and Director of the JREF’s new Science-Based Medicine project.

Dr. Novella is an academic clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. He is the president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society and the host and producer of the popular weekly science show, The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe. He also authors the NeuroLogica Blog, which covers news and issues in neuroscience, as well as general science, scientific skepticism, philosophy of science, critical thinking, and the intersection of science with the media and society.

His work with the JREF includes developing and directing JREF’s Science-Based Medicine project, providing the media and the public with trustworthy information about unproven alternative medical practices. The Science-Based Medicine blog, a group blog of healthcare professionals dedicated to issues of science in medicine, will become a joint project with the JREF.

Dr. Novella appears regularly on radio, television, podcasts and at public lectures and conventions promoting science and reason. His radio appearances include NPR: All Things Considered, Minnesota Public Radio, Jefferson Public Radio, Dr. Kiki’s Science Hour, The Skeptical Zone during Nat and Drew in the Morning on Virgin Radio 95.3 FM in Vancouver, and many others. His television appearances include The Dr. Oz Show, Inside Edition, 20/20, The History Channel, Penn & Teller: Bullshit, The Unexplained on A&E, and others.

Dr. Novella has taught a 24-lecture online course, distributed by the Teaching Company, called Medical Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths: What We Think We Know May Be Hurting Us.

Dr. Ray Hall is a professor of physics at California State University, Fresno and holds a Ph.D. in experimental high energy particle physics from the University of California, Riverside. During his 16 years working on the D-Zero detector at Fermilab, he was part of the research team that discovered the fundamental particle known as the top quark.

He has taught college level courses on critical thinking for more than 10 years, and given presentations promoting critical thinking and science to groups and institutions including the California Science Teachers Association, the Air Force Academy, Stanford University, CSU Sonoma, CSU Pomona, K2B International, and the Center for Inquiry in Los Angeles.

Dr. Hall’s involvement with the JREF began at our first TAM in 2003 in Ft. Lauderdale, where he presented TAM’s very first Sunday Paper.

As a fellow, Dr. Hall chairs the JREF’s academic scholarships committee, contributes to the Randi.org blog, curates the presentation of Sunday Papers at each of our Amaz!ng Meetings, and edits books on skepticism featuring TAM Sunday Papers as part of the JREF’s digital publishing efforts.

Kyle Hill is currently working as a research assistant at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Communication with a focus on science, health, environment, and sustainability. His research is focused on how personal motivations and website characteristics affect the use of critical thinking.

As a fellow, Hill will conduct research on the ways people process science information they discover online, with the goal of applying his findings to the JREF’s mission of promoting skepticism and critical thinking. Hill will also blog at Randi.org, pilot a “Science and Skepticism 101” educational workshop to present at colleges and conferences, and conduct a census-style large scale survey of the skeptical community in coordination with the JREF. The aggregate results and analysis of the skeptic survey will be made available to the public, to confirm or contradict the skeptical community's "common knowledge" assumptions about who our community and our audiences are, and how they apply their skepticism.

Tim Farley studied physics at Georgia Tech before getting involved in the software industry and specializing in computer security. He first became involved in the JREF by attending TAM 5 in 2007. Together with other Atlanta activists, he helped launch the Atlanta Skeptics organization, which has organized three Skepticamps, several charity Star Parties at Dragon*Con, and now an Atlanta-based Independent Investigations Group.

In 2008, with input from the JREF Forum, Farley created WhatsTheHarm.net, a web site that compiles information on the hundreds of thousands killed and injured by scams, pseudoscience, and alternative health claims. Since then, he’s also launched Skeptools.com, a site dedicated to developing advanced tools and techniques for use by skeptics in fighting the battle against misinformation online.

As a JREF research fellow, Farley has contributed data for an upcoming JREF iPhone app and led the Advancing Skepticism Online workshop at TAM 2011. He continues to write for the Randi.org blog and work on other projects that advance skepticism through new electronic media.

Dr. Karen Stollznow is a Host of the Center for Inquiry’s Point of Inquiry podcast, and Co-Host of the Skeptics Society's Monster Talk podcast. A prolific skeptical writer and investigator of pseudoscience and the paranormal, she is the "Naked Skeptic" web columnist for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and the "Bad Language" columnist for Skeptic magazine. Dr. Stollznow is Contributing Editor for Skeptical Inquirer, is the Managing Editor of CSI's Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, and a frequent contributor to many sites and publications. She is a Linguist and Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Director of the San Francisco Bay Area Skeptics.