Join the University of Montana for the next installment of the President’s Lecture Series, “An Evening with Jad Abumrad.”
The lecture is slated for 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, in the University Center Ballroom on campus.
The free community event serves as the 2026 Dean Stone Lecture and UM’s Democracy Summit Keynote Lecture. It is sponsored by the UM School of Journalism and the Davidson Honors College.
Abumrad, a composer, artist and journalist, is the creator of “Radiolab,” “Dolly Parton’s America,” “Fela Kuti: Fear No Man” and many other podcasts that have collectively been downloaded over a billion times. He’s 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.
Abumrad recently teamed up with UM Journalism Professor Jule Banville to produce “The Obit Project,” a series of audio-reported obituaries premiering this month with stories ranging from a circus elephant to a local historian with an affection for ghosts.
The 12-episode series is a production of the Montana Media Lab at the UM School of Journalism in which students and journalists explore universal truths, legacies and reckon with the memories of those we love.
The project premiered April 2 and releases episodes weekly on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Castbox and Pocket Casts. Versions of some stories will air on Montana Public Radio.
Abumrad has received three Peabody Awards, the highest honor in broadcasting, and two DuPont Awards. In 2011, he received the prestigious MacArthur Genius Fellowship. Abumrad is currently a Distinguished Professor of Research at Vanderbilt University.
By: UM News
