Best-selling author, acclaimed historian, journalist, and professor of history at Tulane University

Walter Isaacson is a best-selling author, acclaimed historian, journalist, and professor of history at Tulane University. He is the former president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, where he is now a distinguished fellow. He also served as chairman and CEO of CNN and a managing editor at Time magazine. An accomplished biographer, Isaacson has written acclaimed books on Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, and, most recently, Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna. He is also the co-author of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made.

Mr. Isaacson’s definitive biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was published in 2011, becoming a New York Times best seller and serving as the inspiration for the movie Steve Jobs, starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels. Based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years, Mr. Isaacson’s riveting account tells the story of a roller-coaster life and an intense, creative personality whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. His most recent #1 New York Times best seller, The Code Breaker, is a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies. Kirkus calls it “A vital book about the next big thing in science—and yet another top-notch biography from Isaacson.”

In 2014, Mr. Isaacson was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities to deliver their Jefferson Lecture, the government’s highest honor for achievement in the humanities. He has also been named as one of the Time 100, the magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world, and received the 2012 Gerald Loeb Award for his book, Steve Jobs. In partnership with Dell Technologies, he hosts a podcast called “Trailblazers” that explores stories of digital disruption. Mr. Isaacson is also a co-host of Amanpour & Company on PBS and CNN. He lives in New Orleans.