Shankar Vedantam

Shankar Vedantam is the award-winning host and creator of the widely acclaimed ‘Hidden Brain’ podcast and radio show, which garners over three million downloads per week. His impactful career in social sciences journalism began with a decade as a reporter at The Washington Post from 2001 to 2011. During this tenure, he contributed a regular column titled ‘Department of Human Behavior’ from 2007 to 2009. His profound contributions were recognized early with a prestigious Nieman Foundation for Journalism Fellowship at Harvard University from 2009 to 2010.

Recognizing the immense potential and audience engagement, Vedantam founded Hidden Brain Media in 2019 and expanded his flagship creation into the ‘Hidden Brain’ podcast, where he serves as host and creator, achieving its remarkable reach of over three million weekly downloads. His work on ‘Hidden Brain’ has earned significant recognition, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award and honors from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Vedantam further expanded his influential literary contributions by co-authoring Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain with Bill Mesler in 2021.

His consistent impact on journalism and social science has also been acknowledged through other esteemed recognitions, including a Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship and a World Health Organization Journalism Fellowship. Vedantam continues to lead critical conversations around human behavior, leveraging his platform to illuminate the unseen forces that shape our choices and society. Through Hidden Brain Media, he maintains the compelling narrative of the ‘Hidden Brain’ podcast, engaging millions weekly with insights from psychology and neuroscience. His consistent record of creating and delivering deeply researched, accessible content solidifies his position as a leading voice in public understanding of social science.