Alexis Madrigal
Born 1983 · Age 42
American journalist, staff writer and editor who has written for Wired and The Atlantic, co‑founder of the COVID Tracking Project, author of Powering the Dream, and co-host of KQED's Forum.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Mexico City
Alexis Madrigal was born in Mexico City. (Sources list birth year as 1983/84.)
Moved to Los Angeles with family
Madrigal moved to Los Angeles at age three after being born in Mexico City.
Raised in Ridgefield, Washington (childhood)
Grew up in the exurbs north of Portland / Ridgefield, Washington; childhood experiences there shaped his views on race and community.
Graduated Harvard University (BA)
Madrigal graduated from Harvard University in 2004 (English major referenced in press profiles).
Brief job at a hedge fund
Worked briefly at a hedge fund after college before starting a journalism career (mentioned in interviews).
Joined Wired.com as staff writer (science & energy)
Became a staff writer covering science and energy for Wired.com; built Wired Science into a popular blog.
Founded 48 Hour Magazine
Founded 48 Hour Magazine, a fast-turnaround media experiment that attracted attention from major outlets (founder credit on profile pages).
Wired Science nominated for MPA and Webby Awards
Wired Science, which Madrigal built at Wired.com, was nominated for best magazine blog (MPA) and best science website (2009 Webby Awards).
Joined The Atlantic (senior editor)
Began working for The Atlantic in 2010 as a senior editor overseeing technology coverage.
Spoke at Energy Innovation 2010
Spoke at the Energy Innovation 2010 conference hosted by ITIF and other policy think tanks.
Published Powering the Dream (book)
Published Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology (Da Capo Press, 2011).
Moved to North Oakland residence
Has lived in North Oakland since 2011 with his wife and (later) two children; cited in profile interviews.
Spoke at Energy Innovation 2011
Spoke at Energy Innovation 2011 on energy policy topics (ITIF event listing).
Visiting scholar affiliation at UC Berkeley (Information School / CSTMS)
Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's Information School and at the Center for the Study of Technology, Science, and Medicine (CSTMS).
Contributor to NPR's Fresh Air (contributor period)
Contributed essays and pieces to Fresh Air between 2014–2015.
Joined Fusion / Univision (editor-in-chief)
Left The Atlantic later in 2014 to join Fusion as part of a high-profile hiring wave; later served as editor-in-chief for Fusion (2014–2017).
Spoke at Aspen Ideas Festival panel on energy
Spoke at the Aspen Ideas Festival alongside Tony Fadell on 'A New and Promising Energy Future'.
Promoted to Deputy Editor of TheAtlantic.com
Named deputy editor of TheAtlantic.com (announcement dated July 8, 2014).
Moderator for City Arts & Lectures (began)
Began serving as a moderator for City Arts & Lectures (has moderated interviews with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Stacey Abrams, Jennifer Egan, etc.).
Launched Fusion Bay Area bureau and TV show Real Future
At Fusion, launched a Bay Area bureau and produced the TV show 'Real Future' (work took place during his editorial tenure 2014–2017).
Returned to The Atlantic as staff writer
Rejoined The Atlantic in 2017 as a staff writer focusing on technology and society.
Hosted 'Containers' 8‑part audio documentary
Hosted an eight-part audio documentary/podcast called 'Containers' about containerization and global trade (2017).
Cofounded Haiti ReWired (community project)
Credited as a cofounder of Haiti ReWired, a community focused on technology and infrastructure for Haiti (date approximated post-2010 earthquake).
CSTMS visiting scholar page last updated
UC Berkeley CSTMS lists Madrigal as a past visiting scholar (page timestamped April 12, 2020).
COVID Tracking Project partnership with Boston University
The COVID Tracking Project included comprehensive racial and ethnic data in partnership with the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research (project collaboration).
Cited by major institutions / media for COVID data
The COVID Tracking Project's data fueled research and reporting by Johns Hopkins University, The New York Times, CNN and was used by the Trump and Biden administrations.
Founded the COVID Tracking Project
Cofounded the COVID Tracking Project with Robinson Meyer and a team of volunteers to track COVID‑19 testing, hospitalizations, outcomes, and race/ethnicity data in the U.S.
Served as contributor and commentator on radio/podcasts
Regular commentator and guest on NPR, Radiolab, 99 Percent Invisible and other programs; contributor credits include Fresh Air and others.
COVID Tracking Project reached ~400 volunteers
By the time of KQED's 2021 announcement, the COVID Tracking Project had grown into a roughly 400-person volunteer initiative cited in coverage.
Serves on boards of Chapter 510 and LeadersUp
As of the KQED announcement, Madrigal served on the board of Chapter 510 (Oakland youth writing center) and LeadersUp (workforce org).
Announced as co-host of KQED's Forum
KQED announced on May 14, 2021 that Madrigal would join Forum as co-host of the 9am hour, arriving from The Atlantic.
Began co-hosting KQED's Forum
Madrigal began as co-host of the daily public affairs radio program Forum on June 21, 2021.
Published Atlantic essay on COVID testing and isolation
Published 'Getting Back to Normal Is Only Possible Until You Test Positive' in The Atlantic (Nov 9, 2021).
Judge for American Mosaic Journalism Prize
Served as a judge for the 2024 American Mosaic Journalism Prize (Heising-Simons Foundation).
Profiled on Kiddle / bio updates
Kiddle and other public profiles continued to list biographical details and updates (e.g., residence, family).
Proprietor of the Oakland Garden Club newsletter
Runs 'Oakland Garden Club,' a newsletter about plants and urban gardening (personal site).
Ongoing roles: KQED Forum co-host & Atlantic contributing writer
Continues as co-host of KQED's Forum and as a contributing writer at The Atlantic.
Personal: married with two children
Married to writer Sarah Rich; they have two children and live in Oakland (public profiles/interviews).
Forthcoming book 'The Pacific Circuit' (planned release)
Announced forthcoming book The Pacific Circuit to be published March 2025 by MCD x FSG (per personal site).
Key Achievement Ages
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