Her science project

Biologist Sarah Habibi is taking to TikTok to try out experiments and make learning cool for kids. She tells Tracey Tong how she got there

I’m trying to get people excited about science from a young age. I want to show that a woman who likes wearing high heels and makeup can be a scientist.

SARAH HABIBI

Fungus and bacteria and fruit flies

— oh my! Not the sexiest of topics, and definitely not ones typically destined for mass appeal on social media. But in the hands of Sarah Habibi, they have infinite possibilities.

The 28-year-old biologist, a widely published researcher in the field of novel pharmaceutical development for parasitic infections, is breaking not only the scientist mold but also the internet. As @science.bae, the TikTok and Instagram star, who has 116K and 24K followers, respectively, has been a social media sensation since she set out to make science cool for kids. “Being a woman of Middle Eastern descent in STEM, who presents herself in a female way, makes me stand out,” she says.

The Brampton-born Whitby resident started her Instagram channel for fun, to showcase her lab work as a graduate student at Ontario Tech University. Then the pandemic hit during the final year of Habibi’s PhD. With everything shifting online, her ensuing job hunt initially posed a major challenge.

“I noticed at the beginning of 2020 an influx of young people on TikTok, and so I began teaching at-home science experiments on the platforms,” she says. “Quickly, I began growing a community of learners and joined as an official TikTok creator.”

While many of her Instagram followers are millennials and graduate students, her primary audience on TikTok is made up of high schoolers and their parents, whom she reels in with kid-friendly howto experiments that can be done from home.

Although some believe social media is “just a place for selfies,” Habibi, whose Twitter handle is @SarahHabibiPhD, says the majority of people she has interacted with — including colleagues at Ontario Tech — recognize the impact it has on the younger generation.

“People go to Sarah’s platforms for the science but stay for her authenticity,” says Lidya Salim, a former colleague. “Her audience has seen her grow and evolve through various stages and aspects of her life.” Later this year, Habibi will be incorporating mom life into her posts — she and her husband are expecting their first child (“We’ve been calling it Hababy”) on Christmas Day.

Habibi attributes her success to, among other things, her accessibility. “I’m not afraid to discuss the positives and negatives of my journey,” she says. “Transparency provides a place where people can relate. I’m not just this perfect scientist on social media. When I share things that have gone wrong, that’s where I see the most engagement.”

Growing up, Habibi was self-conscious about having a lisp. “It was especially hard in university when I would go to events and different places and have to introduce myself,” she says. “Since my name starts with an S, people would hear me say Tara or Thera, which would be so upsetting for me.” After being teased about it on TikTok, she incorporated the hashtags #thience and #thientist. “I figured, why not embrace this and make it part of who I am.” Her audience — including other scientists with lisps — loved it.

Her speech impediment hasn’t affected one of her other roles, as a sought-after public speaker. She’s spoken at TEDx Talks, Three Minute Thesis (a competition held at universities worldwide), schools and research conferences about such topics as women in STEM, the journey of a PhD in Canada, getting kids excited about science and growing a social media platform. She is also on the board of directors for STEM Camp Foundation, a notfor-profit that provides STEM resources to educators and parents, as well as writing a children’s book and pitching a kids’ TV show. “I really want to expand my reach,” she says. “TikTok is awesome, but it would be so cool to reach every kid in Canada — and in the world — to show them that science is accessible and fun.

“I feel like it is my calling,” Habibi adds. “A lot of young people are scared of science in school because of how it’s presented. I’m trying to get people excited about science from a young age. I want to show that a woman who likes wearing high heels and makeup can be a scientist. There’s no one way to be a scientist.”