Luther Chipembere on Science, Storytelling, and Standing on the CERN Stage

Standing on a stage at CERN doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens when sharp science meets clear storytelling, and when someone learns how to show up with confidence, as well as great content.

We chatted to FameLab South Africa 2025 winner, Luther Chipembere, about his journey to CERN, the habits he had to unlearn, the feedback that changed everything, and why communicating science clearly is not optional anymore.

Be honest, what actually went through your head the first time you stepped onto a FameLab stage?
(Before the polished confidence kicked in.)
I remember thinking there are a lot of people here. I’m quite introverted and I couldn’t help feeling exposed while standing on that stage.
If your science had a personality before FameLab, and one after FameLab, how would you describe the glow-up?
Before FameLab I would say the science was a little overdressed and stiff for the occasion. After, I would say more approachable, edgy and cool.
What was the hardest habit you had to unlearn when you started communicating your research to public audiences?
I had to unlearn this instinct of wanting to explain everything and realise that less can actually land better.
Standing on a stage at CERN is wild, but what moment in your FameLab journey felt like the real turning point for you?
Honestly, meeting the other FameLab participants and hearing the incredible work they were doing. That’s when it really sank in that science doesn’t look one way, and neither does impact.
What’s one piece of feedback you received during FameLab that stung a bit… but changed everything?
“Your work doesn’t feel like science.” It made me realise that if a problem feels too real, people forget there’s science underneath it.
If you had 3 minutes to convince a sceptical friend that science storytelling actually matters, what would you say now?
Evidence doesn’t speak for itself. People listen to people. If we don’t explain our work clearly, someone else will explain it badly, or use it for the wrong reasons.
What surprised you most about how people responded once you started communicating your science differently?
How curious people actually are. When you remove the intimidation, most people don’t reject science, they lean into it. They just want to know why it matters to them.
Finish this sentence:
“FameLab didn’t change my science, it changed how I show up with it.”
For someone thinking about FameLab 2026 but sitting on the fence: what would you tell them that no brochure ever could?
FameLab is not just about being on a stage. It teaches you to show up as yourself, and explain what you do, and trust that it’s enough. Once you have that, the way you communicate everywhere else shifts.