Staff Bios

Jad Abumrad

The son of a scientist and a doctor, Jad Abumrad did most of his growing up in Tennessee, before studying creative writing and music composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. Following graduation, Abumrad wrote music for films, and reported and produced documentaries for a variety of local and national public radio programs, including On the Media, PRI's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and WNYC's "24 Hours at the Edge of Ground Zero". The Ring & I, an insightful, funny, and lyrical look at the enduring power of Wagner's Ring Cycle which he produced and hosted, aired nationally and internationally and earned ten awards, including the prestigious 2005 National Headliner Grand Award in Radio.

NPR Science Correspondent, Robert Krulwich, joins Jad Abumrad in studio as co-host of Radio Lab. Robert Krulwich has been called "the most inventive network reporter in television" by TV Guide. His specialty is explaining complex subjects - science, technology, economics - in a style that is clear, compelling and entertaining. He has explored the structure of DNA with a banana, explained arbitrage by wearing Groucho glasses and illustrated the Texaco-Pennzoil battle with Barbie and Ken dolls. A Special Correspondent for ABC News, Krulwich appears regularly on Nightline and other news programs, including ABC News Tonight and Good Morning America. His rare talent for on-air teaching is often called upon to make complicated subjects comprehensible, from the intricacies of Enron's accounting irregularities to the impact of the Human Genome Project. As host and executive editor of PBS's new five-part documentary series, NOVA scienceNOW, Krulwich explored scientific breakthroughs and their applications, from fuel cells and hydrogen-powered cars to secrets of the genetic code and nanotechnology. "The most exciting news being made at this moment is what human beings have learned about themselves, the planet they're on, and the universe they're part of," says Krulwich. "This is a time when our gaze has widened, and this is a show about what we can see now."

He won an Emmy Award, a Polk Award and a DuPont Award for his PBS Frontline programs on Internet privacy, the savings and loan scandal and campaign finance, respectively. The National Cancer Institute gave him their Extraordinary Communicator Award. He also won an AAAS Science Journalism Award for a 2001 NOVA special, Cracking the Code of Life.

Prior to her career in radio, Ellen worked in coral reef conservation, spent a couple of years officiating union elections, and scooped more Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream professionally than you could eat without inducing type 2 diabetes. As a radio producer she’s worked as a reporter, a talk show booker, a tape cutter, montage maker, a voice over artist, a news editor, and podcast guru. Currently, she is Radio Lab’s Executive Producer, and works frequently with The Takeaway on science news coverage.

Michael Raphael returns to WNYC many years after his Studio360 internship and his work on the "Now Hear This" music pilot with John Flansburg as the new Radiolab Senior Producer. Michael has spent the last few years sharpening his production and managerial skills at Weekend America. He helped shape the musical identity for the program and helped develop its popular "Weekend Soundtrack" segment. When not working in radio, Michael dabbles in sound effects creation and sound design for games.

In past lives, Lulu was a history major, woodworker, and barista. She is now a zealous convert to the gospel of sound. In her free time, she writes stories, cycles her bike, and stares at people on the subway. She thinks Radio Lab is Miracle-Gro for the mind, and is proud to be manufacturing the stuff.

After fiddling around with literature and creative writing at the University of Wisconsin as an undergrad, Soren spent 10 years working with science teachers and writing about how kids learn science. While Soren found working with teachers and kids immensely rewarding, the combination of proposal writing and the formal education system was beginning to erode his soul. To remove himself from that dark path, he went to Johns Hopkins and got a masters in science writing, hoping to write things that normal people might actually read. He has since been happily distracted from this goal by the wonders of working in radio.