Science Fiction Writer
ROBERT J. SAWYER
Hugo and Nebula Winner

HOME • MENU • Search:

Robert J. Sawyer is a highly sought-after public speaker, who has given keynote addresses at over 100 corporate, government, and association conferences, annual meetings, and banquets:

• Keynote Speaker
  Word on the Lake Writers' Festival
  Salmon Arm, British Columbia
  May 18, 2024
  

• Keynote Speaker
  FP Canada [Financial Planners]
  Toronto, Ontario
  May 25, 2022
  

• Keynote Speaker
  WordBridge Writing Conference
  Lethbridge, Alberta
  February 7-8, 2020
  

• Keynote Speaker
  The 5th International Science Fiction Conference
  Chengdu, China
  November 22-24, 2019
  

• Keynote Speaker
  China Association for Science and Technology
  Beijing, China
  November 3, 2019
  

• Keynote Speaker
  BCSSA Summer Leadership Academy
  British Columbia School Superintendents Association
  Kelowna, British Columbia
  August 14, 2019
  

• The Annual Paul Sykes Memorial Lecture
  Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
  Vancouver, British Columbia
  January 26, 2019
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Major Science Initiatives Workshop: Giving Canada's National Research Facilities a Competitive Edge
  Canada Foundation for Innovation
  Ottawa, Ontario
  29 November 2018
  

• Speaker
  World Conference on Science Literacy
  Beijing, China
  17-19 September 2018
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Nokia
  Miami, Florida
  14 May 2018
  

• Speaker
  La Ciudad de las Ideas
  Puebla, Mexico
  17-19 November 2017
  

• Speaker
  SingularityU Canada Summit
  Toronto, Ontario
  11 October 2017
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Philosophy Teachers' Association
  Toronto, Ontario
  April 24, 2017
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Genre-LA Speculative Fiction Creative Writing Conference
  Los Angeles, California
  January 27-29, 2017
  

• Keynote Speaker
  SaskTel Technical Career Path Conference
  Regina, Saskatchewan
  November 9, 2016
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference
  Denver, Colorado
  September 11-13, 2016
  

• Speaker
  Starmus III: In Honor of Stephen Hawking
  Tenerife, Canary Islands
  June 27-29, 2016
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Word on the Lake Writers' Conference
  Salmon Arm, British Columbia
  May 20-22, 2016
  

• Keynote Speaker
  International Association of Privacy Professionals
  Canadian Privacy Symposium
  Toronto, Ontario
  May 12, 2016
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Creative Ink Festival
  Burnaby, British Columbia
  May 7, 2016
  

• Keynote Speaker
  University of Waterloo Planning Alumni of Toronto
  Toronto, Ontario
  November 12, 2015
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Healthspottr Innovation Salon
  Aspen, Colorado
  August 25, 2015
  

• Keynote Speaker
  6th Annual Graduate Student Research Conference
  University of Ontario Institute of Technology
  Oshawa, Ontario
  April 29, 2015
  

• Featured Speaker
  Spur: A Festival of Politics, Arts and Ideas
  Calgary, Alberta
  April 25, 2015
  

• Keynote Speaker
  George M. Ewing Canandaigua Forum
  Canandaigua, New York
  November 2, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Niagara-on-the-Lake Writers' Circle Rising Spirit Awards Celebration
  Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  October 31, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  Medical Physics Division
  New York, New York
  October 15, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Write on the Sound Writers' Conference
  Edmonds, Washington
  October 3-5, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  12th International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation in Space (i-SAIRAS 2014)
  Montreal, Quebec
  June 18, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  NorthWords Writers Festival
  Yellowknife, NWT
  June 5-8, 2014
  

• Featured Debater
  44th St. Gallen Symposium
  St. Gallen, Swtizerland
  May 7-9, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Library Association Super Conference
  Toronto, Ontario
  January 31, 2014
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre
  McMaster University
  Hamilton, Ontario
  September 13-15, 2013
  

• Keynote Speaker
  China Science and Technology Museum
  Beijing, China
  August 22, 2013
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Mensa Education & Research Foundation Colloquium 2013
  Ft. Worth, Texas
  July 2, 2013
  

• Presenter
  IdeaCity
  Toronto, Ontario
  June 21, 2013
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists of Saskatchewan
  Regina, Saskatchewan
  May 3, 2013
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Lockheed Martin
  Center for Leadership Excellence
  Bethesda, Maryland
  February 12, 2013
  

• Lecturer
  28th Annual Darwin College Lecture Series
  Cambridge University
  Cambridge, UK
  February 1, 2013
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Surrey International Writers' Conference
  Surrey, British Columbia
  October 19-21, 2012
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Institute for Quantum Computing
  Tenth-Anniversary Celebration
  Waterloo, Ontario
  September 29, 2012
  

• Featured Speaker
  SETIcon II
  The SETI Institute
  Santa Clara, California
  June 22-24, 2012
  

• Keynote Speaker
  American Association of Managing General Agents
  Annual Automation and Technology Conference
  Atlanta, Georgia
  March 5, 2012
  

• Speaker
  TEDxManitoba
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
  February 9, 2012
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Science Media Centre of Canada
  Annual General Meeting
  Ottawa, Ontario
  October 17, 2011
  

• Keynote Speaker
  When Words Collide
  Calgary, Alberta
  August 12-14, 2011
  

• Presenter
  IdeaCity
  Toronto, Ontario
  June 15, 2011
  

• Keynote Speaker
  6th Annual Graduate Students Research Conference
  University of Regina
  Regina, Saskatchewan
  April 1, 2011
  

• Speaker
  TEDxManitoba
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
  February 15, 2011
  

• Keynote Speaker
  The iSchool Institute
  University of Toronto
  Toronto, Ontario
  January 26, 2011
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Center for Values in Medicine, Science and Technology
  University of Texas at Dallas
  Dallas, Texas
  September 15-17, 2010
  

• Featured Speaker
  SETIcon
  The SETI Institute
  Santa Clara, California
  August 13-15, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Social Science on the Final Frontier: A Conference on Science Fiction and Society
  Laurentian University
  Sudbury, Ontario
  August 23-25, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Pacific Northwest Library Association and
  Washington Library Association Joint Conference
  Victoria, British Columbia
  August 11, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Community Foundation of Mississauga
  Mississauga, Ontario
  May 13, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Toward a Science of Consciousness
  Tucson, Arizona
  April 14-18, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge
  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  April 13, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ceridian
  Client Advisory Board Meeting
  Phoenix, Arizona
  March 3, 2010
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Surrey International Writers' Conference
  Surrey, British Columbia
  October 23-25, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba
  Annual Meeting
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
  October 23, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Queen's University
  Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  Kingston, Ontario
  October 14, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Health Canada
  Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
  Ottawa, Ontario
  October 14, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Hansard Association of Canada
  Regina, Saskatchewan
  August 13, 2009
  

• Banquet Speaker
  Canadian Light Source
  12th Annual Users' Meeting
  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  June 17, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Science Writers' Association
  Sudbury, Ontario
  May 25, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Alberta Land Surveyors' Association
  Banff, Alberta
  April 23, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Garanti Bank
  Istanbul, Turkey
  February 3, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Quantum Leadership's "Time to Exit the Labyrinth" conference
  Istanbul, Turkey
  February 2, 2009
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials
  Toronto, Ontario
  December 2, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Science Teachers Association of Ontario
  Toronto, Ontario
  November 13, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Grey-Bruce Health Services
  Mildmay, Ontario
  October 29, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Surrey International Writers' Conference
  Surrey, British Columbia
  October 24-26, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario's Digital Economy Conference
  Muskoka, Ontario
  October 2, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Meeting Professionals International
  Toronto, Ontario
  September 4, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  The MEARIE Group Insurance and Risk Management Conference
  Huntsville, Ontario
  June 25, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker, Session Producer, and Moderator
  Gartner IT Security Summit
  Washington, D.C.
  June 2-4, 2008
  

• The Walrus Magazine debate
  Robert J. Sawyer vs. Hal Niedzviecki
  "Should We Embrace the Surveillance Society?"
  (moderated by Carol Off, co-host of CBC Radio's As It Happens)
  University Club of Toronto, May 8, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Muskoka E-Business Forum
  Muskoka, Ontario
  March 26, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Trinity College School
  Academic Honours Night
  Port Hope, Ontario
  February 25, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Calgary City Teachers Association
  Annual Meeting
  Calgary, Alberta
  February 14, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Ministry of the Environment
  Engineers Professional Development Day
  Toronto, Ontario
  February 20, 2008
  

• Keynote Speaker at Dedication Ceremony
  The David J. Williams III Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Collection
  Kansas State University
  Manhattan, Kansas
  December 4, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Home Care Association
  Annual Meeting
  Victoria, British Columbia
  December 3, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Alberta Ministry of Health and Wellness
  Health Workforce Division
  Edmonton, Alberta
  November 19, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Manitoba Public Libraries
  Annual Meeting
  Brandon, Manitoba
  November 8, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Sanofi Pasteur (Sanofi-Aventis)
  Internal Conference
  Toronto, Ontario
  October 26, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Public Library Association Readers' Advisory Symposium
  Toronto, Ontario
  October 26, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council
  Annual Meeting
  Mississauga, Ontario
  October 19, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  University of Waterloo Department of Physics & Astronomy
  50th Anniversary Celebration
  Waterloo, Ontario
  October 2, 2007
  (Speech broadcast as an episode of TVOntario's Big Ideas series)
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Chengdu International Science Fiction and Fantasy Conference
  Chengdu, China
  August 24-27, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Osprey Media Income Fund Leadership Conference
  Collingwood, Ontario
  June 22, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  48th Annual International Conference on Health and Science Communication
  (annual meetings of the Association of Biomedical Communications Directors and the Health and Science Communication Association)
  Toronto, Ontario
  June 15, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Public Relations Society
  Annual Meeting
  Edmonton, Alberta
  June 14, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Cancer Patient Education Network
  Annual Meeting
  Montreal, Quebec
  May 31, 2007
  

• The Annual Mary Donaldson Memorial Lecture
  Saskatchewan Library Association
  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  May 3, 2007
  

• The Annual Peter Sim Memorial Lecture
  Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
  Calgary, Alberta
  March 15, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  McMaster University Science for Peace / Pugwash Society
  Hamilton, Ontario
  March 10, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Durham District School Board Creativity Conference
  Ajax, Ontario
  February 21, 2007
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Surrey International Writers' Conference
  Surrey, British Columbia
  October 20-22, 2006
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association Conference
  Regina, Saskatchewan
  October 15-16, 2006
  

• Keynote Speaker
  CA Technologies (Computer Associates) "Council for Technical Excellence" Inaugural Meeting
  Islandia, New York
  May 4, 2006
  

• Keynote Speaker giving The Dr. Bryant Galusha Lecture
  Federation of State Medical Boards
  Annual Meeting
  Boston, Massachusetts
  April 22, 2006
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Mutual Insurance Association
  Annual Meeting
  Windsor, Ontario
  October 24, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  The Uses of Science Fiction
  Multidisciplinary conference sponsored by the Philosophy Department
  Brock University
  St. Catharines, Ontario
  October 20-22, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Documentation and Training 2005
  Boston University
  September 17-18, 2005
  

• Featured Speaker
  McLuhan International Festival of the Future
  University of Toronto
  September 26, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  CLEAR: The Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation 2005 Conference
  Phoenix, Arizona
  September 15, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  The Learning Partnership
  Toronto, Ontario
  October 4, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Association of Ontario Land Surveyors
  113th Annual General Meeting
  Huntsville, Ontario
  February 23, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Library Association Super Conference
  Toronto, Ontario
  February 4, 2005
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Western Regional Computer Advisory Committee Symposium 2004
  Sponsored by two universities, three colleges, and 20 school boards
  London, Ontario
  December 9, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Ontario Professional Engineers Awards Banquet 2004
  Toronto, Ontario
  November 20, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Business of Science Symposium
  Sponsored by Manitoba Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
  October 26-27, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Space Summit
  Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, Ontario
  September 25, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Canadian Association of Science Centres
  Annual Meeting
  Edmonton, Alberta
  June 3-5, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  2nd International Symposium on Physical Sciences in Space
  Sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency
  Toronto, Ontario
  May 23-27, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  BioMedex 2004: The Annual Convention of Canada's Biopharmaceutical and Health Technology Industry
  Montreal, Quebec
  April 29-30, 2004
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Science Fiction and Social Change Symposium
  Mount Royal College
  Calgary, Alberta
  February 6-7, 2004
  

• The sole "Noted Author" luncheon speaker
  New York Library Association
  Annual Meeting
  Saratoga Springs, New York
  November 7, 2003
  

• Presenter
  IdeaCity
  Toronto, Ontario
  June 19, 2003
  

• Keynote Speaker
  12th Annual Canadian Conference on Intelligent Systems
  Calgary, Alberta
  May 30-31, 2002
  

• Featured Speaker
  Life Communicators Association
  Annual Meeting
  Reno, Nevada
  September 23-26, 2001
  

• Keynote Speaker
  "Think Canada 2001" SF Festival
  Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
  April 29, 2001
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Contact 4 Japan
  Tokyo, Japan
  November 3-5, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Writers Guild of Alberta
  Annual General Meeting
  Red Deer, Alberta
  October 20-22, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  S/SF: The First Canadian Conference on Science and Science Fiction
  National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa
  September 12, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Authors in August
  Collingwood, Ontario
  August 26, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  National Life
  Group Insurance Brokers Conference
  Orangeville, Ontario
  May 29-30, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Writers Circle of Durham Region
  Annual General Meeting
  Oshawa, Ontario
  May 13, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Jefferson Community College North Country Writers' Festival
  Watertown, New York
  April 25-27, 2000
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Premio UPC de Ciencia Ficción Awards Ceremony
  Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
  December 1, 1999
  

• Guest Speaker
  The Library of Congress
  Washington, D.C.
  November 10, 1999
  (Read Rob's talk)
  

• Opening-Day Luncheon Speaker
  Canadian Booksellers Association Annual Convention
  (now known as BookExpo Canada)
  Toronto, Ontario
  June 17, 1998
  

• Keynote Speaker
  Crime Writers of Canada's "Murder on the Maitland"
  Harriston, Ontario
  May 22-24, 1998
  

• Keynote Speaker
  76th Annual Conference of the Canadian Authors Association
  St. Catharines, Ontario
  June 26-29, 1997
  

More Good Reading

Booking Rob as a speaker
Rob's "Speaker Profile" brochure (PDF)

Rob's Guest of Honorships at SF conventions
Quotes from convention attendees
Quotes from event organizers
Robert J. Sawyer's upcoming appearances
Why authors attend Science Fiction Conventions
Rob's suggestions for panel topics at conventions

My Very Occasional Newsletter