Jad Abumrad is a composer, artist, and journalist. He is the creator of Radiolab, Dolly Parton’s America, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, and many other podcasts, which collectively have been downloaded over a billion times.
He has been called a “master of the radio craft” for his unique ability to combine cutting-edge sound design, cinematic storytelling, and a personal approach to explaining complex topics, from the stochasticity of tumor cells to the mathematics of morality.
Jad studied creative writing and music composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. He composed much of the music for Radiolab and has also composed music for film, theatre, and dance. He has received four Peabody Awards, the highest honour in broadcasting, and two DuPont Awards. In 2011, he received the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. He is currently a Distinguished Professor of Research at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.