Jeff Westbrook is a

TV writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

best known for his work on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...

'', for which he is a three-time winner of the

WGA Award WGA may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Web Gallery of Art * Writers Guild of Alberta * Writers Guild of America, an American union ** Writers Guild of America, East ** Writers Guild of America, West Other uses: * Wagga Wagga Airport ...

Education and pre-TV

Prior to becoming a TV writer, Westbrook was a successful

algorithms In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

researcher. After majoring in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and history of science at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, he studied

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

with

Robert Tarjan Robert Endre Tarjan (born April 30, 1948) is an American computer scientist and mathematician. He is the discoverer of several graph algorithms, including Tarjan's off-line lowest common ancestors algorithm, and co-inventor of both splay trees ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, receiving his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1989 with a thesis entitled ''Algorithms and Data Structures for Dynamic Graph Algorithms''. He then took a faculty position at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, later becoming a researcher for

AT&T Laboratories AT&T Laboratories, Inc. was the research & development division of AT&T Corporation. It was founded in 1925 as Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc., following the merger of the research & development divisions of American Telephone & Telegraph an ...

before leaving research for Hollywood.

Erdős and Bacon numbers

Westbrook's

Erdős number The Erdős number () describes the "collaborative distance" between mathematician Paul Erdős and another person, as measured by authorship of mathematical papers. The same principle has been applied in other fields where a particular individual ...

is three due to his research collaborations with Tarjan and others. His

Bacon number Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon or Bacon's Law is a parlor game where players challenge each other to arbitrarily choose an actor and then connect them to another actor via a film that both actors have appeared in together, repeating this process to t ...

is also three, due to his appearance as an extra in the movie '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'', giving a combined

Erdős–Bacon number A person's Erdős–Bacon number is the sum of one's Erdős number—which measures the "collaborative distance" in authoring academic papers between that person and Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős—and one's Bacon number—which represents ...

of six.

Writing credits

''Futurama'' episodes

The Day the Earth Stood Stupid "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" is the seventh episode in season three of '' Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 18, 2001. The title of this episode is a play on the title of the 1951 science fictio ...

" (2001) *"

The 30% Iron Chef "The 30% Iron Chef" is the 22nd episode and final episode in season three of '' Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 14, 2002. Bender aspires to be a cook for the Planet Express crew, but the meals he pro ...

" (2002) *"

Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" is the ninth episode in the fourth production season of the American animated television series '' Futurama''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 30, 2003. The episode was directed by ...

" (2003)

''The Simpsons'' episodes

On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" is the eleventh episode of the sixteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 6, 2005. A repeat of this ep ...

" (2005) *"

The Wettest Stories Ever Told "The Wettest Stories Ever Told" is the eighteenth episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 23, 2006. Plot When the Simpso ...

" (2006) *"

Kill Gil, Volumes I & II "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II" is the ninth episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 2006. This episode won a Writers Gu ...

" (2006) – Won 2007

in the Animation category *"

Apocalypse Cow "Apocalypse Cow" is the seventeenth episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 27, 2008. After joining 4-H, Bart saves a cow ...

" (2008) – Won 2008

in the Animation category *"

No Loan Again, Naturally "No Loan Again, Naturally" is the twelfth episode of the twentieth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 8, 2009. In the episode, the Simpsons lose their hous ...

" (2009) *"

Pranks and Greens "Pranks and Greens" is the sixth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 22, 2009. In this episode, Bart tracks down an ...

" (2009) *"

The Ned-Liest Catch "The Ned-Liest Catch" is the twenty-second and final episode of the twenty-second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 22, 2011. This is the second s ...

" (2011) *"

The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants "The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants" is the seventh episode of the The Simpsons (season 23), twenty-third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the Unite ...

" (2011) *" Ned 'n Edna's Blend" (2012) – Won 2012

in the Animation category. *"

Treehouse of Horror XXIV "Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, ...

" (2013) *" The Man Who Grew Too Much" (2014) *" The Wreck of the Relationship" (2014) *"

Let's Go Fly a Coot "Let's Go Fly a Coot" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 572nd overall episode of the series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 3, 20 ...

" (2015) *“ The Nightmare After Krustmas” (2016) *" Caper Chase" (2017) *"

No Good Read Goes Unpunished "No Good Read Goes Unpunished" is the fifteenth episode of the twenty-ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 633rd episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 8, 2018. Pl ...

" (2018) * 'Tis the 30th Season" (2018) *"

I Want You (She's So Heavy) "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney). The song closes side one of their 1969 album '' Abbey Road'' and features Billy Preston playing the organ. It ...

" (2019) *" Bobby, It's Cold Outside" (2019) *"

Better Off Ned "Better Off Ned" is the 16th episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 678th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 15, 2020. The episode was directed by Rob O ...

" (2020) *" The Road to Cincinnati" (2020) *"

Diary Queen "Diary Queen" is the 12th episode of the The Simpsons (season 32), thirty-second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 696th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matthew Nastuk, and written by Jeff Wes ...

" (2021) *" Girls Just Shauna Have Fun" (2022) *" Clown vs. Board of Education" (2023)

References

External links

*
Dr. Sarah's Mathematical Backgrounds of the Simpsons Writers
Year of birth missing (living people) Harvard College alumni Living people Princeton University alumni American television writers American male television writers Writers Guild of America Award winners Yale University faculty {{Simpsons-stub