Chad Cohen

Chad Cohen heads development and production at HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, where he’s responsible for creating bold, story-driven science content spanning documentaries, series, digital, and other editorial platforms. A writer, director, showrunner, and executive producer with more than two decades of experience turning complex science into compelling, character-rich stories, he works closely with both internal and external creative teams to produce genre-defining work that supports the studio’s mission to spark curiosity, inspire trust, and deepen engagement in science.

Prior to joining HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, Chad was an executive producer at National Geographic, where he oversaw unscripted series and specials for Disney+, Hulu, and the National Geographic Channel—including the multi-Emmy-winning Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller, the live cross-platform event Eclipse Across America with ABC News, and tentpole documentaries like Titanic: The Digital Resurrection and Expedition Amazon. Over the years, he has created acclaimed science and history programming for National Geographic, PBS, NOVA, Smithsonian, and Discovery, tackling subjects ranging from evolution and archaeology to bioluminescence and the hidden world of microbes. Notable projects include Expedition Amelia, the NSF-funded When Whales Walked, the Emmy-nominated The Human Family Tree, and the Emmy-winning Incredible Human Machine.

When he’s not making films, Chad can often be found leading science-focused expeditions as a National Geographic Expert—most recently guiding travelers through the ancient temples and archaeological wonders of Greece, based on his 3-part Nat Geo series The Greeks for PBS. 

Chad holds a degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Rutgers College and a master’s in science, health, and environmental journalism from New York University.