Rowan Jacobsen

Rowan Jacobsen is an American author and journalist whose work explores the intersection of science, nature, adventure, and sensory experience. He is recognized for his writing on nature, science, sustainability, and the organoleptic experience. Jacobsen's work has appeared in publications such as Harper's, Outside, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, National Geographic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, MIT Technology Review, Businessweek, and Forbes. His writing is regularly anthologized in The Best American Science & Nature Writing and Best Food Writing collections.

Jacobsen's books include the James Beard finalist "Wild Chocolate," the James Beard winner "A Geography of Oysters," and "In Defense of Sunlight." Several of his books have been named to Best Book of the Year lists by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. His journalism has also received recognition, with his Outside Magazine piece "Heart of Dark Chocolate" earning the Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers for best adventure story of the year, and his Harper's piece "The Homeless Herd" being named best magazine piece of the year by the Overseas Press Club.

Jacobsen's reporting has taken him to remote and challenging environments, including war-torn Myanmar and the Amazon. In researching "Wild Chocolate," he traveled through the rainforests of the Amazon and Central America to document chocolate makers, activists, and indigenous leaders working to preserve wild and heirloom cacao varieties. His book "In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure" examines the science of sun exposure and challenges mainstream American health care advice.

Jacobsen has held several competitive fellowships in science journalism, including the Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellowship, where he wrote about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China; the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT, focusing on synthetic biology; and the Media Fellowship at the Nova Institute for Health, researching the science of sun exposure. As a McGraw Center for Business Journalism Fellow, he explored the disruptive potential of plant-based proteins. These fellowships highlight his ability to cover topics ranging from food and ecology to biotechnology and human health.

Jacobsen has spoken at Harvard, Yale, MIT, and the Aspen Ideas Festival, and has appeared on CBS, NBC, and NPR. He has also been featured on All Things Considered, The Splendid Table, CBS This Morning, Weekend Edition, and Morning Edition. Whether writing about honeybee colony collapse in "Fruitless Fall," the world of truffles in "Truffle Hound," or the science of sunlight, Jacobsen is known for rigorous reporting and immersive storytelling that make complex topics in science, food, and sustainability accessible to a broad audience.