Roslyn Man Competes on Jeopardy “A Dream Come True…”

By Maureen Daly

Roslyn resident Zach Wissner-Gross competed last week as a first time contestant on Jeopardy. Prior to his appearance, he said that, “I'll be competing on a little show called Jeopardy hosted by Ken Jennings on Wednesday, 3/22…. A dream come true!!!"

Zach graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in physics and biology and from Harvard University in 2012 with a PhD in physics.

The 38-year-old has worked for Amplify Education Inc., a Brooklyn-based company that collaborates with educators to develop learning programs for grades K–12, since 2015. Zach began his career at Amplify as a product manager and has been the vice president of math education since 2019.

Zach also creates online puzzles and brain games as “The Riddler” at FiveThirtyEight.com, a website known for its polling and political analysis but also having interactive games and puzzles.

Zach held his own on Jeopardy, even getting the final Jeopardy question correct. Unfortunately he did not wage any money in the final round, and finished in second place. His friends and family are very proud of him, and he came home with consolation prizes for playing.