Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Jorge Cham

Jorge Cham

Cartoonist, Roboticist and Author. Best known for his popular newspaper and web comic strip Piled Higher and Deeper (PhD Comics)

Jorge Cham is the creator of Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD Comics), the online comic strip about life (or the lack thereof) in Academia. He is also the co-founder of PHD TV, a video science and discovery outreach collaborative, and a founding board member of Endeavor College Prep, a non-profit school for kids from disadvantaged communities in East Los Angeles.  

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

Jorge Cham is the creator of Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD Comics), the online comic strip about life (or the lack thereof) in Academia. He is also the co-founder of PHD TV, a video science and discovery outreach collaborative, and a founding board member of Endeavor College Prep, a non-profit school for kids from disadvantaged communities in East Los Angeles.

Often called the Dilbert of academia, PHD has appeared in the Stanford, MIT, Caltech and Carnegie Mellon newspapers among others, and is published online where it is read by over 7 million visitors a year from over 1000 universities and colleges worldwide. Jorge Cham was born and raised in the Republic of Panama. He obtained his B.S. from Georgia Tech and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University, specializing in Robotics.

He was subsequently an Instructor and Research Associate at Caltech from 2003-2005, where his work focused on developing “Smart” Neural Implants. He travels and presents all over the world to thousands of graduate students, faculty and administrators. Five PHD book collections have been published and two feature-length films have been produced based on his work.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Testimonials

“The talk was humorous and helpful. Cham’s cartoon strip has been a giant plus in helping graduate students ac knowledge and cope with t he stress they experience.“

Isaac Colbert, Dean of Graduate Students, M.I.T.

“Jorge Cham’s talk was just terrific. I loved it and obviously so did our audience here.“

Mary Johnson, Director, Graduate Career Services, Yale University

“The message of the presentation really resonated with our students. The graduate school journey can be extremely isolating, and Jorge Cham’s presentation and comics normalize the experience and provide solace and humor.“

John Nonnamaker, Graduate Stude nt Career Development, M.I.T.

“We had such a great turnout and I still can’t believe ho w enthusiastic everyone was!“

Angela Noel-Hvitved, Graduate Stude nt Association, Rice University

“I’ve never heard so many graduate students *really* la ughing at the same time!“

Jory Zmuda Ruscio, Chair, Graduate Life Center's Speaker Series, Virginia Tech

“Everyone that I talked to really enjoyed the lecture.“

Gavin Reddick, Chair, Graduate Student Council, Univ. of Virginia

If you have not engaged Jo rge on your campuses, do so . An exceptionally well- received program by UCLA students.”

Albert E. Dubin, Senior Associate Dir ector, Counseling Services & Campus Relations, UCLA Career Center

“Penn students loved hi m! We got lots of positive feedback.”

Julie Vick, Associate Director, Care er Services, Univ. of Pennsylvania

Topics

Topics

We Have No Idea

The Science Gap

 

Videos

Videos

The Science Gap: Jorge Cham at TEDxUCLA
Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson: "We Have No Idea" - Talks at Google

Books

We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe
We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe
Read More →
Life is tough and then you graduate: The second Piled Higher and Deeper Comic Strip Collection
Life is tough and then you graduate: The second Piled Higher and Deeper Comic Strip Collection
Read More →
Adventures in Thesisland: The Fifth Piled Higher and Deeper Comic Strip Collection
Adventures in Thesisland: The Fifth Piled Higher and Deeper Comic Strip Collection
Read More →
Academic Stimulus Package (Piled Higher & Deeper)
Academic Stimulus Package (Piled Higher & Deeper)
Read More →

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"