PeopleofSuperintelligence

Public voice

Jorge Cham

Jorge Cham is a cartoonist and science communicator who hosts ScienceStuff, a podcast with an episode on AI alignment. Originally from Panama, he earned a mechanical engineering degree at Georgia Tech in 1997, began Piled Higher and Deeper in his first full Stanford quarter in 1997, and completed a mechanical engineering PhD at Stanford in 2003 while researching fast, robust cockroach-inspired robots. After serving as an instructor and research associate at Caltech from 2003 to 2005, he made the comic his full-time work in 2005 and won first place in the NSF/AAAS visualization challenge in 2009 with neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin. In 2017, he co-wrote We Have No Idea with physicist Daniel Whiteson; in 2018, they co-hosted Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe; in 2020, they co-created PBS KIDS' Elinor Wonders Why. In January 2025, he and Godwin published Out of Your Mind, an illustrated book about questions of the brain, including consciousness and free will.

Born
1976
Links
Website

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1997–2003

    Stanford robotics and PhD Comics

    Originally from Panama, he earns a mechanical engineering degree at Georgia Tech in 1997 and begins mechanical engineering graduate study at Stanford. He starts Piled Higher and Deeper in his first full quarter at Stanford in 1997, studies robotics with advisor Mark Cutkosky, researches fast, robust cockroach-inspired robots, and completes a Stanford PhD in 2003.

  2. 2003–2005

    Caltech research and full-time comics

    From 2003 to 2005, he serves as an instructor and research associate at Caltech, where he works on neural implants that enhance signals from live neurons. In 2005, he makes Piled Higher and Deeper his full-time work and runs the business for its books, merchandise and website.

  3. 2009

    An NSF/AAAS graphics award

    He and Wake Forest neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin win first place in the NSF/AAAS International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge's Informational Graphics category in 2009.

  4. 2017

    Co-writing We Have No Idea

    With physicist Daniel Whiteson, he co-writes We Have No Idea, which Riverhead Books publishes in May 2017.

  5. 2018

    A science podcast with Whiteson

    In 2018, he co-hosts the iHeart podcast Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe with physicist Daniel Whiteson. Their show makes large questions about the universe accessible in a fun, jargon-free way.

  6. 2020

    Creating Elinor Wonders Why

    With physicist and educator Daniel Whiteson, he co-creates the PBS KIDS animated series Elinor Wonders Why, which premieres in September 2020. The show encourages children to follow their curiosity, ask questions and use science inquiry to learn about the natural world.

  7. 2025

    An illustrated brain book

    In January 2025, he and neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin publish Out of Your Mind, an illustrated introduction to the human brain that explores questions such as consciousness and free will.

  8. Since 2025

    ScienceStuff and AI alignment

    Since 2025, he hosts the iHeart podcast ScienceStuff, making science accessible as he answers big questions. The show includes an episode in which he explores AI alignment with two experts.

Career

  1. 2003–2005California Institute of TechnologyInstructor

Education

  1. 2003Stanford UniversityPh.D. in Mechanical Engineering
  2. 1997Georgia Institute of TechnologyMechanical Engineering degree

From the biography.

  1. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public rolesIncludes Jorge Cham. Of 216 AI researchers who entered public life, 83 held advisory seats and 58 took public roles. Another 97 people moved from public careers into AI organizations or research, with 62% of dated records starting from 2020 on.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes California Institute of Technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. People shaping AI work at a median of 3 organizations over a career: 3 for university starters and institute and lab starters, versus 2 for company startersIncludes California Institute of Technology. Across 6,853 people shaping AI with a dated work role, we estimate a median of 3 parent organizations over a career (mean 3.6), comparing role groups, starting sectors and starting decades from the 1950s to 2020–2026.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes California Institute of Technology. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Jorge Cham yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Solace in a strip: Alumnus’s comic gives voice to grad student woes | Stanford University School of Engineering engineering.stanford.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Interview with ME Alum/Cartoonist Jorge Cham coe.gatech.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Jorge Cham jorgecham.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. The PHD Movie, Starring Caltech's Own PhDs! caltech.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Get Answers to Our World’s Biggest Questions with “Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe!” | iHeart Blog blog.iheart.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. New Animated STEM Series ELINOR WONDERS WHY Premieres on PBS KIDS September 7, 2020 pbs.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  7. Out of Your Mind by Jorge Cham, Dwayne Godwin: 9780593317358 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books penguinrandomhouse.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  8. ScienceStuff - Podcast - Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com. Checked 21 October 2026.