Breaking the mold: 'Dancing Scientist' receives UW alumni award

A man in a sequin-covered lab coat and blue rubber gloves stands in front of a chalk board covered with equations gestures at a large pile of yellow slime on a lab bench covered with beakers and models of molecules

Former GLBRC undergraduate researcher Jeff Vinokur, also known as the Dancing Scientist, went on to earn a PhD in biochemistry and start a science education company whose videos are shown in nearly a third of U.S. elementary schools. Vinokur is one of seven UW–Madison graduates honored with a 2024 Forward Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association. dancingscientist.com

Back in 2010, Jeff Vinokur was a college student with an interest in biofuels when he donned a rhinestone lab coat, busted some dance moves and launched a career as a science educator.

Today the University of Madison–Wisconsin graduate is a scientist, entrepreneur, and Emmy-nominated host of more than 100 children’s educational videos. His company, Generation Genius, creates science and math videos shown in nearly a third of U.S. elementary schools.

Better known as the Dancing Scientist, Vinokur is one of seven graduates honored with a 2024 Forward Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association.

Vinokur had already established a popular dance channel on YouTube when he enrolled at UW–Madison, which he chose because he wanted to study biofuels at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

He joined the center as an undergraduate research assistant in professor Robert Landick’s lab, where he studied the metabolic pathways of E. coli with the goal of improving ethanol production.

When not doing research, Vinokur studied the craft of public science demonstrations with James Maynard, the director of the chemistry department’s Demonstration Lab, and chemistry professor Bassam Shakhashiri, who literally wrote the book on science demos for teachers.

During his sophomore year Vinokur melded his passions for science, education, and dance into his Dancing Scientist act, which landed him on America’s Got Talent and other national television shows.

After graduating in 2012 with a degree in biochemistry Vinokur went on to earn a doctorate from UCLA for enzyme research before launching his company in 2017. Generation Genius is now one of the fastest growing ed-tech start-ups in the country and was featured in Time magazine’s 2023 list of the 100 most influential companies.

The Forward Award, given to young alumni who demonstrate exceptional achievement and positive impact on their professions or communities, acknowledges rising stars who exemplify the Wisconsin Idea through an emphasis on service, discovery, and progress.