I’m Matt Wood, a science writer and amateur photographer living in Chicago. I currently work at the University of Chicago Medicine, where I write about research and promote science communications in the Biological Sciences Division. In a past life I was also an IT guy, before taking a four-year break to be a stay-at-home dad. Born and raised in a small town called Poseyville, Indiana, I grew up on basketball, popcorn, and the St. Louis Cardinals.

I started this site in 2001 because I knew how to make a website and that seemed like a fun thing to do. It turned into a blog for the next 12 years, before social media made that irrelevant and I finally let it go. I still write the occasional essay and post my photography here, but otherwise, you can find me at some of my new hangouts linked in the menu.

So what’s with the name?

When I was in college, I was a huge fan of the Wu-Tang Clan (still am, actually). One day, the name “Wood-Tang” appeared in magic marker on my door at the fraternity house, and the name just stuck.

Now that I’m bald and have a family, no one calls me that anymore, but it’s a perfect online handle. Sorry if you got here expecting news on the RZA and Ghostface and found stuff about baseball and my kids instead.