Jay Dickerson’s Extraordinary Career In Science – And The Coin Flip That Started It

Jay Dickerson, Amherst Class of 1994, could give the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man In The World a run for his money. With a career in the sciences that spans not one but two tenured faculty positions, the Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Consumer Reports as Chief Scientific Officer, Jay is as skilled at helping the rest of us understand science as he is at practicing it.

Jay has a PhD in physics, holds two patents, and has published two books and more than 85 journal articles, including one he co-authored with a Nobel laureate. You’ll also find videos of him on TikTok, and he has given more than 40 TV, radio, and podcast interviews.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• How a coin flip decided which career path Jay would take after graduating from Amherst.
• What’s harder: explaining science to a lay audience, or engaging fellow experts in the field?
• The life-saving work he did at Consumer Reports to improve product safety.
• Why it’s more important to work with good people than it is to prioritize working on high-profile projects.
• The member of the Amherst Class of 1994 he wants me to talk to next.

Big thanks to former Pre-Made guests Justin Neely and Ramya Swaminathan for suggesting that I interview Jay.