Adam Rutherford

Adam Rutherford is a scientist, writer and regular BBC broadcaster. As a geneticist, Adam lectures in Biology and Society at University College London, sharing his knowledge on the history of eugenics, race science, genetics and science communication. He is the author of several books and is a contributor to multiple media outlets. 

Awarded a PhD in Genetics from University College London for research into the role of the CHX10 gene on eye development, mutations and eye disorders, Adam also served as a Podcast Editor and audio-video editor for Nature for a decade. He published audio interviews with notable personalities such as David Attenborough and wrote editorials on a range of topics from rt and science to sci-fi movie reviews. Before leaving this role, Adam presented various BBC documentaries and series, including The Cell, The Gene Code, and Inside Science. Leaving Nature in 2013, remained a prominent figure across TV and radio before working alongside Hannah Fry to present the BBC Radio 4 science programme The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, which he co-hosted for 21 series. In 2022, Adam presented the series Bad Blood: The Story of Eugenics on BBC Radio 4, based on his book of a similar theme. Adam is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week, is frequently involved with Sceptics in the Pub, an Honorary Senior Research Associate in Biosciences at University College London and recently finished his tenure as President of Humanists UK. 

Adam published his first book in 2014, ‘Creation: The Origin of Life | The Future of Life’, which was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize that same year. He then released ‘A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived’, which was longlisted for the same prize in 2017. Adam would go on to publish ‘Genetics’, ‘The Book of Humans’, ‘Humanimal’, and ‘How to Argue with a Racist’, which was built on his Humanists UK Voltaire Lecture in 2019. In 2022, he wrote ‘Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics’, before releasing his first children’s book, ‘Where Are You Really From?’, which was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Young People’s Book Prize and won the Week Junior Children's Book of the Year: STEM 2024. Adam is a regular contributor to The Guardian, is a recipient of the Royal Society David Attenborough Award, and has also acted as a scientific advisor on multiple films, from The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! To World War Z.

A truly influential thinker, Adam is a confident and experienced public speaker who has delivered talks across the world. His TEDx 'Rethink Everything We Know About Genes & Identity Politics', discusses human evolution, race, racism, eugenics, genetics, and politics. Adam is a knowledgeable and insightful individual who will leave audiences enlightened, fascinated, and excited about this often mysterious and complex science.