Zoltan is a philosophy and religious studies graduate of Columbia University. In 2013, Zoltan published The Transhumanist Wager, an award-winning fictional thriller describing philosopher Jethro Knights and his unwavering quest for immortality via science and technology.

Zoltan writes futurist and transhumanist-themed Op-Eds for various media, including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Wired. Zoltan is also founder of the Transhumanist Party and ran a successful and widely viewed 2016 US presidential campaign as the party’s nominee. In 2018, he was an endorsed Libertarian candidate for California Governor. He also ran as a Republican against Donald Trump for the US Presidency in 2020, getting 6th in the GOP Primaries. Zoltan has used his political campaigns to spread transhumanism and the growing field of extreme longevity to the world. A feature documentary Immortality or Bust on his work can be viewed on Amazon Prime.

Zoltan graduated from the University of Oxford with a master’s in Ethics (Philosophy), often writing about AI. An award-winning biography by Changemakers Books on his work by Dr. Ben Murnane came out called Transhuman Citizen: Zoltan Istvan’s Hunt for Immortality. Zoltan is running as a Democrat for California Governor in 2026, taking on the challenges of AI and supporting a Universal Basic Income.