SUMMARY
I began my academic career in science, completing an honours undergraduate degree in chemistry and oceanography in 1997, and winning the Governor General's Silver Medal for the top undergraduate in that year at the University of British Columbia (UBC). After this I switched gears to writing, and obtained a masters degree in journalism from UBC in 2000. Moving to London, England, I worked for New Scientist magazine and the prestigious science journal Nature for about ten years, before returning home to Vancouver. Today I live and work as a freelance journalist from the small town of Pemberton, 2 hours north of Vancouver.
WORK EXPERIENCE (journalism)
2021-present: Contributing freelance editor, OpEds, Knowable Magazine
2021-2023: Contributing editor, Yale Environment 360
2017-2020: Contributing Editor, SAPIENS anthropology magazine
2018-2019: Developmental Editor, Future Earth, Our Future On Earth report
June 2008-present. Freelance reporter and editor
August 2013-April 2014. Acting features editor, Nature
Dec 2102-July 2013. Columnist, Nature Geoscience
March 2009 – 2011. Commissioning editor, Nature Comment section
June 2008 – March 2009. Acting essays editor, Nature; Vancouver
2005 – May 2008. Online news editor for Nature; London
Sept 2003 – 2005. Assistant news and features editor, Nature; London
Feb 2001 – Aug 2003. Reporter, New Scientist magazine; London
June-Nov, 2000. Intern, New Scientist magazine; London
June-July, 1999. Intern, Time magazine, Canadian edition; New York
WORK EXPERIENCE (teaching / speaking / judging)
2023 - invited speaker, Vancouver Writers Festival
2019 - TED talk, Edinburgh
2019 - Society for American Archaeology online seminar: persuasive writing for the public
2018 - invited speaker, PEW marine fellows conference
2010 - Co-ordinator of Nature’s mentorship awards, Canada.
Sept 2009 – 2012. Science Journalist in Residence, UBC School of Journalism
Sept 2009 – Dec 2009. Adjunct professor, UBC School of Journalism
Nov 2009. Invited speaker at science journalism conference, UBC Vancouver
Oct 2009. Invited speaker at the Canadian Science Policy conference, Toronto
Sept 2009. Participant in Leopold foundation media training, Edmonton
Summer 2009. Judge, NSERC student competition on the Vancouver Olympics
2007. Judge, UBC’s Science Journalism Research Group awards, online category
Feb 2007. Invited speaker, AAAS
2005 – 2007. Teacher of a one-day workshop on journalism to Nature staff
Summer 2005. Invited speaker, Brighton Science Festival
2004. Judge, Association of British Science Writers annual awards, radio category
WORK EXPERIENCE (science)
Summer 1995 / 1996. Research assistant/lab technician, chemical oceanography; University of Victoria
Summer 1994. Research assistant, particle physics; Stanford Linear Accelerator, California, US (NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award)
EDUCATION
1998 - 2000. Masters of Journalism, University of British Columbia (UBC)
1993 - 1997. B.Sc. combined honours Oceanography & Chemistry, UBC
HONOURS/ AWARDS
2023: Webster award, Excellence in Business, Industry, & Labour Reporting
2023: American Meteorological Society, Distinguished science journalism in atmospheric sciences
2023: Perlman award (American Geophysical Union), news
2022: Covering Climate Now (finalist)
2020: Science Communications award, Acoustical Society of America
2005: Best ‘small’ website in specialty journalism; Online News Association
2003: Best science feature in a specialist journal; Association of British Science Writers / GlaxoSmithKline award
2003: Wood’s Hole Marine Biological Laboratory fellowship for science writers
2000: Hal Straight Gold Medal (for Journalism)
2000: 1st Prize, Chemistry & Industry International Science Writing Competition
1998,99: University Graduate Fellowship (for Journalism)
1997: Governor General's Silver Medal (top undergraduate, UBC Faculty of Science)
1996: Governor General's Canada Scholarship in Environmental Sciences, Canada
1996: Agnes and Gilbert Hooley Scholarship in Chemistry, UBC
1993: Governor General's Bronze Medal Award for top scholar at West Vancouver Secondary School
PUBLISHED WORK
Published science or news articles appear in Nature, Time magazine, New Scientist, Scientific American, the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, Chemistry & Industry, Current Science (a US children’s science magazine), and several websites including Canoe.com and Orato.com. Any clips are available on request.
My first book, Saving the Spotted Owl: Zalea's Story (non-fiction, KidsCan press) was published in October 2023.
Professional commentary on journalism:
Interview
TVO interview
Jones N., Hypothesis, vol 8, no 1 (2010) Fixing science communication
OTHER INTERESTS
I am a keen outdoor enthusiast; I cycled across Canada in 1998 (7,000 km in 3 months), skied the Haute Route in the Alps in 2006, and have had many sea kayaking and rock climbing adventures.
I enjoy fiction writing; a science fiction short story first published in Nature appears in the book Futures from Nature (Tom Doherty Associates, 2008) along with a story by Arthur C. Clarke.
