Adam Nathaniel Goodkind

Adam was the beloved son of Barbara Gross Franklin and Kenneth Goodkind, stepson of Michael Franklin, favorite brother of Laura Goodkind (Jennie), devoted husband to Shaina Wright, and adoring father to Samuel Asher Goodkind.

Adam grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Randolph High School, where his intelligence, humor, and charisma shined in theater, competitive speech and late-night games of Settlers of Catan with his group of lifelong friends.

After a car accident nearly left him paralyzed as a teenager, Adam was inspired to become a rabbi — earning a joint degree from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. However, deep reflection with his classmates and professors — and a burgeoning love of linguistics — convinced Adam he was meant to take another path.

His initial jobs in finance at JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs sparked his interest in computer science, which blossomed into a passion for computational linguistics. He earned his Masters in Computational Linguistics at CUNY in 2016 and went on to complete his PhD in Human Computer Interaction at Northwestern in 2023, with a dissertation on “Predicting Social Dynamics in Interactions Using Keystroke Patterns,” in which he explored how the nuances of a person’s typing could reflect their emotions. He thrived finding real solutions to the most complicated problems.

Adam went on to apply his research to improvements for healthcare systems and communication technologies for people with autism, and those struggling with mental health and addiction. He contributed to research as a post-doctoral fellow with the NIH and later with a team at the University of Maryland. He took great pride in using his unique knowledge and skill-set to build inventive new technologies that would make meaningful differences in people’s lives. His field is left much poorer with his loss, as is the world for the contributions his work would have made.

Adam met his wife, Shaina, just before completing his Masters in New York City, and convinced her to follow him out to Chicago for his PhD after a whirlwind romance. They married in Chicago in 2018, and enjoyed nine years of adventures together, the greatest of which was becoming parents to their beautiful son, Sammy.

Adam’s accomplishments and spirit stand on their own, but his achievements are even more impressive in the face of his lifelong battle with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2), a rare genetic disease that causes tumors throughout the nervous system, especially in the brain, spine, and auditory nerves. Diagnosed at only 9 years old, Adam endured over a dozen surgeries to remove brain tumors throughout his life, each exacting an additional physical toll on his vision, hearing, and mobility. Despite the loss of an eye, loss of hearing, muscle weakness, paralysis in some areas of his body, and an ever-growing burden of medical complications, Adam persevered in pursuing his goals and living a life full of joy and meaning.

Adam’s experience motivated him to improve treatments and support for others with NF2, and those living with other disabilities. He participated in multiple trials for NF2 treatments, providing important data for future patients. He received two Auditory Brainstem Implants, a specialized implant similar to a Cochlear implant, but that carries auditory information directly to the brainstem in order to restore hearing in people affected by NF2. Because of his understanding of language, he provided important guidance regarding the programming of this type of device, and he became a determined advocate for accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Adam never let the challenges of NF2 dim his ambitions, break his spirit, or define him. Although his time was cut far too short, Adam left a profound impact on all who knew him. His friends and family treasured him for his dry and quirky humor, his never-ending thirst for knowledge — both useful and obscure, and his unique outlook on the world that led him to always experiment, even when the results verged on ridiculous.

He was an avid lover of music, attending as many concerts as he could, ranging from Guster to Billy Joel to Bonaroo. He traveled widely, from Africa to Alaska, delighting equally in nature, history, and serendipitous discoveries that came from a walk down the street or a conversation with a new person. He enjoyed golf, good coffee, donuts, junk food, The Office, Parks & Recreation, heist movies, sailing, the Adirondacks, reading, and learning about any new topic that happened to intrigue him. He had a lifelong tragic love affair with the New York Mets, surpassed only by his devotion to his friends and family.

Services will be held at 1pm on Thursday, November 6 at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Funeral Chapel, located at 68 Short Hills Road in Livingston, NJ. The family will be receiving guests from 12:15pm-12:45pm.

Shiva will be held at the Dorset Hollow Clubhouse (Redner Road, adjacent to the tennis courts) in Morristown, NJ on Thursday evening until 7pm, Friday from 12-5pm, and Sunday from 11am-3pm. Shiva minyan service will be held on Thursday evening at 6pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support the research of Dr. Scott Plotkin, who is a leading NF2 researcher and the head of neuro-oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Plotkin made an incredible difference in Adam’s life, not only by providing cutting-edge drug therapies, but also counseling and supporting Adam for over 20 years, and becoming a true friend to Adam and his family. Checks can be made payable to Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute with “in memory of Adam Nathaniel Goodkind” in the memo line and sent to Mass General Hospital, Development Office, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston MA, 02114 or visit giving.massgeneral.org to make your gift online.