Jad Nicholas Abumrad (; born April 18, 1973) is an American radio host, composer, and producer. He is the creator of the syndicated

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

program and podcast '' Radiolab'', which he hosted alongside

Robert Krulwich Robert Louis Krulwich (born August 5, 1947) is a retired American radio and television journalist who co-hosted the radio show '' Radiolab'' and served as a science correspondent for NPR. He has reported for ABC, CBS, and Pacifica, with assi ...

. He is currently Distinguished Professor of Communication of Science and Technology at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

Early life and education

Abumrad was raised in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

where his Lebanese father, Naji Abumrad, is a doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center"Placebo" (audio only; show 301)
''radiolab.org'', May 17, 2007. and his mother Nada Abumrad worked as a scientist. Abumrad attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, where he studied creative writing and music composition with a special interest in electronic and electroacoustic music, receiving his B.A. in 1995.

Career

Before choosing radio as a career, Abumrad composed

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s. Abumrad has reported and produced documentaries for a number of local and

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

programs, including '' On the Media'', PRI's ''

Studio 360 ''Studio 360'' was an American weekly public radio program about the arts and culture hosted by novelist Kurt Andersen and produced by Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and ''Slate (magazine), Slate'' in New York City. The program's stated goal was t ...

'' with Kurt Andersen, ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 a ...

'', ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', ''

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...

'', and

WNYC WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...

's "24 Hours at the Edge of Ground Zero". From 2002 to January 2022, Abumrad produced and co-hosted the nationally syndicated program '' Radiolab''. His background in music has influenced the sound of ''Radiolab'', which inspired a generation of podcasters. Abumrad was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow; the foundation cited his "engaging audio explorations of scientific and philosophical questions" which "captivate listeners and bring to broadcast journalism a distinctive new aesthetic", while using "his background as a composer to orchestrate dialogue, music, and sound effects into compelling documentaries that draw listeners into investigations of otherwise intimidating topics." Abumrad also produced and hosted'' The Ring & I'', a look at the enduring power of Wagner's Ring Cycle. It aired nationally and internationally and earned ten awards, including the prestigious 2005 National Headliner Grand Award in Radio. In 2016, Abumrad launched ''Radiolab''s first ever spin-off series, ''More Perfect'', a podcast that tells the stories behind the U.S. Supreme Court's most famous rulings. In 2018 Abumrad hosted the four-part podcast series "UnErased," which tells the stories of survivors of

gay conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have bee ...

. In 2019, Abumrad hosted, produced and edited the nine-episode podcast '' Dolly Parton's America'', an in-depth exploration of the life, career, and enduring appeal of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

star and songwriter

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

. Abumrad interviewed Parton extensively for the podcast. In addition to his journalistic access to her, he also has a familial connection: Parton and Jad's father, Naji, have been friends since Naji was her doctor in the aftermath of a minor car accident. The series won seven national awards, including a George Foster Peabody Award. In January 2022, Abumrad announced his retirement from Radiolab, handing over the reins to producers Lulu Miller and Latif Nasser. In April 2022, Abumrad joined the faculty of

Personal life

In 2007, he married Karla Murthy, whom he met in college. Murthy works as a film maker and television producer. The couple have two children, and live in

Fort Greene, Brooklyn Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Dow ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abumrad, Jad 1973 births Living people NPR personalities American people of Lebanese descent Oberlin College alumni MacArthur Fellows