Antonia is a self-taught XR developer, with a deep understanding of immersive technology (VR, AR, MR/XR, and hand-tracking). What started out as an unconventional career path; from working in Zoos, planetariums and VR, she became, and is currently, a Senior XR Technical Specialist at Unity, with more than a decade of experience in public speaking. Her expertise have led her to become the Co-Chair of the VR/AR Associations Women’s Committee, showing her dedication to eliminating bias within the STEM sector.
Antonia First began giving talks at the Bristol Zoological Society and has since built the rapport which has enabled her to become a record-breaking TEDx Bristol speaker – giving her speech to over 2000 people. Her video has since gained more than 170,000 views online. Antonia is determined to eliminate the prejudice and discrimination faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, that they are “unnatural” with science, facts and rap. Her aim is to create a more gender-inclusive and diverse work environment, and gives evidence-backed advice on how to avoid this prejudice in the workplace.
Her dedication to creating a more inclusive work environment based off facts led Antonia to be short-listed for the 2022 Nature’s John Maddox Prize for ‘Advocate of the Year’, and has won the YTKO Breaking Barriers Award for her LGBTQ+ advocacy. Using her expert knowledge of STEM technology, she is also the producer if the world’s first LGBTQ+ VR museum. She has also performed at Kew Gardens, At-Bristol Science Centre, Wilderness Festival, BBC Radio, and is a member of the Science Showoff Talent Factory.
Antonia is determined to use every skill she possesses in her own unique fashion, be it knowledge of STEM or her rapping and comedy skills, to ensure biology cannot be abused to defend discriminatory views of the LGBTQ+ community. As not just a woman in STEM, but a member of the LGBTQ+ community within STEM, Antonia had to have the motivation, and the determination, to break all prejudices within the industry head on. If you want to hire a truly motivational speaker, who uses her knowledge in a unique fashion, and who can deliver speeches to anyone, book Antonia Forster today.
How to hire Antonia Forster
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Antonia Forster for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
"Antonia’s recent presentation at Stanford's STEM Symposium demonstrated not only her vast expertise in her field, but also her steadfast commitment to advocacy. She spoke about her personal experience of prejudice, as well as the evidence provided by national and international studies. Her talk was engaging, inspirational, informative, and vital for anyone seeking to improve inclusion in STEM." - Devon, Student Liason Officer, Stanford University
"Antonia's talk was informative and very interesting, and well received by an enthusiastic audience. Afterwards, she lead an engaging Q&A discussion on some potentially charged subjects, promoting understanding and open-mindedness on all fronts. Antonia is an excellent, inspirational speaker, and one we would wholeheartedly recommend." - Sean, Fringe Coordinator, Edinburgh Skeptics
"We were seeking a speaker with expertise on diversity and inclusion in tech, to deliver a keynote at our annual conference. Antonia consulted with us, and delivered a custom talk, touching on our business's specific strengths and weaknesses. It is now clear to everyone how we can diversify our workforce, and the benefits of doing so. Antonia's presentation had a huge organisational impact, for which I am very grateful." - Mark, Founding Consultant, Ide Via
- 2022 - Won the YTKO Breaking Barriers Award
- 2022 - Short-listed for Nature's John Maddox Prize for 'Advocate of the Year'
- 2020 - Senior XR Technical Specialist for Unity Technologies
- 2019 - Unity Games Developer for Ultraleap
- 2018 - Project Manager for We The Curious
- 2017 - Planetarium Assistant Producer for We The Curious
- 2016 - Live Science Presenter for We The Curious
- 2016 - Education Officer for Twycross Zoo
- 2016 - Education Ranger for Twycross Zoo
- 2015 - Front Desk Associate for WeWork
- 2015 - Education Ranger for Bristol Zoological Society
- 2013 - 1st & 2nd Line Support Analyst for FLAIR4IT
- 2012 - Scientific Consultant for Preloaded
- 2012 - Associate Tutor at the University of Sussex
- 2009 - Laboratory Demonstrator at the University of Bristol
