Doctoral advisor I.W. Parsons Name Phil Mason | Role Video blogger | |
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Institutions Cornell University
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Thesis Novel Architectures in Polymer Chemistry (1997) Known for Criticism of creationism and religion, criticism of third-wave feminism, advocacy of the scientific method and atheism, and his work on the reaction of alkali metals with water. Fields Chemistry, Physics, Nuclear physics Institution Cornell University, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Similar People Anita Sarkeesian, Kent Hovind, Ray Comfort, Rebecca Watson, Sargon of Akkad | ||
Alma mater University of Birmingham | ||
Philip E. Mason is a British videoblogger who posts YouTube videos criticizing creationism, religion, pseudoscience and feminism, under the pseudonym Thunderf00t. He works as a scientist in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
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Early life
Mason received a BSc (2:1) (1993) and PhD (1997) in chemistry from the University of Birmingham. From 2003 until at least August 2010, Mason was affiliated with the University of Bristol.
Career
Mason worked at Cornell University's department of food science from 2002 until 2012, where he studied the molecular interactions between water and sugar molecules, as well as molecular modeling with regard to proteins and guanidinium solutions. As of 2013, he was working at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic as a member of a research group headed by Pavel Jungwirth. Mason was the lead author in a paper, published in Nature Chemistry, that argued that alkali metal reactions with water can cause a Coulomb explosion. Mason has co-authored 34 scientific papers, of which he is the lead author of 20.
Online activities
Through his YouTube account Thunderf00t, he has made a series of videos titled "Why do people laugh at creationists?", focusing primarily on Kent Hovind's arguments in public seminars. Sociologist Richard Cimino has described the tone of these videos as "that of the professional, well-educated, and articulate British academic expert exposing—in voiceover—the irrational behavior and attitudes of the believer." Mason (originally known only as Thunderf00t) debated the creationist VenomFangX, a YouTube blogger who supports creationism, in a series of public exchanges that lasted almost two years. Mason is also known for responding to arguments made by Ray Comfort and intelligent design proponent Casey Luskin.
Mason's Twitter account was temporarily suspended on 19 September 2014 for allegedly engaging in abusive behaviour towards Anita Sarkeesian and other feminists. Mason speculated that a short-lived campaign had been mounted against him.