Current Contributors
Beth Azar
Beth Azar is a long-time science writer who enjoys the challenge of explaining complex scientific concepts and likes to share her excitement about science with others.
Hunter Barrat
Hunter enjoys the collaborative process of writing about biomedical research topics.
Michael Bender
Michael is a geneticist who handles grants in the areas of RNA processing, protein synthesis, mRNA metabolism and translational control, and regulatory RNAs as well as grants for the Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program. He enjoys teaching different audiences about advances in basic biomedical science.
Kathryn Calkins
Kathryn Calkins, a long-time reporter for a weekly biotechnology newsletter, is always looking for the best way to share her enthusiasm for the biological sciences.
A Guest Contributor
Science communicators who cover NIGMS-funded research at institutions nationwide occasionally contribute posts to this blog.
Joe Gindhart
Joe is a cell biologist who manages grants involving cytoskeletal motor proteins, cell motility, intracellular transport, and bacterial chemotaxis. He says the great part about his job is learning something new about science every day.
Dan Janes
Dan is an evolutionary biologist who manages grants in the areas of genetic variation, evolutionary genetics, and modeling for infectious diseases. His favorite part of the job is hearing about new and creative ways to answer interesting questions by considering evolutionary principles.
Christa Reynolds
Christa works on expanding the Diversity Program Consortium’s outreach through social media, blogs, and other communication approaches.
Juli Rose
Juli enjoys using plain-language writing to inform readers about NIGMS-funded science projects and resources.
Ashley Swanson
Ashley Swanson is a former NIH Postdoctoral Research Associate Training (PRAT) Fellow. She obtained her Ph.D. in environmental toxicology at the University of California, Riverside.
Barbara Vann
Barb loves telling the story behind the science. She strives to make research findings relevant and engaging for all audiences—from the researcher in the field to the student in the classroom.
Alisa Zapp Machalek
Alisa, who’s trained in biochemistry, writes articles, fact sheets, and publications about a variety of areas that include genetics, pharmacology, chemistry, and the body’s response to traumatic injury.
Former Contributors
Carolyn Beans
Carolyn, who trained as an evolutionary biologist, enjoyed covering the latest research advances and the scientists who make them happen while she worked at NIGMS.
Elia Ben-Ari
As a former science writer for NIGMS, Elia enjoyed describing and, in the process, learning about the latest scientific advances.
Emily Carlson
As a former NIGMS science writer, Emily liked writing stories about science to help different audiences understand and appreciate basic research and NIGMS’ role in funding it.
Soma Chowdhury
Soma, who trained in infectious diseases and immunology, wrote about a range of research fields, especially ones she’s less familiar with! For every article, she tried to present a fresh perspective that helped the reader understand the topic and enjoy learning about it.
Jilliene Drayton
While at NIGMS, Jilliene created a variety of products that encourage students, including those from diverse backgrounds, to pursue careers in biomedical research. In addition, she managed the NIGMS Facebook page and several student-related sections of the NIGMS website.
Roya Kalantari
Roya is a molecular biologist who spent a few months at NIGMS analyzing its biomedical technology programs to find ways to make them more efficient. She enjoys learning fun and exciting science facts that she can share with everyone.
Catherine Lewis
Until her retirement in January 2017, Cathy directed the NIGMS division that supports basic research and training in cell biology and biophysics. She played an active role in developing new NIH initiatives in single molecule biophysics and live cell imaging, and served as co-chair of the trans-NIH Nanotechnology Task Force.
Chidinma Okparanta
While at NIGMS, Chidinma helped produce and disseminate a variety of educational materials for students and educators interested in learning more about basic biomedical research.
Anne Oplinger
Anne loves to learn and write about all sorts of biomedical science fields. She has a special interest in infectious diseases, including understanding how the body combats pathogens. During her detail with NIGMS, she wrote about DNA, electron microscopy, and Cell Day.
Chris Palmer
Chris, a former neuroscientist, enjoys communicating about new research discoveries and trends in science through articles, videos, and infographics.
Joe Piergrossi
As the NIGMS summer science writing intern in 2013, Joe profiled researchers, produced videos and wrote articles about topics ranging from the structure of HIV to the source of pain and itch.
Shelly Pollard
Shelly wrote about a range of NIGMS-funded research, including in the areas of computational and systems biology, modeling, and bioinformatics, before moving to another part of NIH.
Sharon Reynolds
As a former science writer for NIGMS, Sharon drew on her training in molecular biology and experience working in a lab to prepare articles for this blog.
Erin Ross
As NIGMS’ 2016 summer science writing intern, Erin used her experience in writing, multimedia, and informal science education to share stories about biomedical research and the scientists who conduct it.
Eric Sarlin
Eric was a writer and editor who covered science for a range of outlets, including research journals, educational blogs, and online newsletters.
Ruchi Shah
Ruchi, NIGMS’ 2015 summer science writing intern, loved explaining progress in basic biomedical research to help people understand and appreciate it.
Martin Spiering
Martin, a microbiologist who worked at the lab bench for more than 15 years, liked writing about science’s diverse topics and people when he worked at NIGMS.