Jessica P. Johnson
Science Writer
Photo by Lucy Reading
I'm a freelance science writer, editor, and a graduate of Boston University's Center for Science and Medical Journalism. I also podcast for BrainFacts.org and formerly served as a science writer and podcaster for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). My writing and reporting have appeared in Nature Medicine, The Scientist magazine, IEEE Pulse, and The Wildlife Society's quarterly magazine The Wildlife Professional. I also served for two years as online news editor and web developer for The Wildlife Society's news website, The Wildlife Society News.
My interest in writing about science grew during my research career in the environmental and life sciences. I started out at Cornell University studying restoration ecology -- the practice of rebuilding ecosystems by protecting and reintroducing native plant and wildlife communities. This led to an internship in San Diego, California, where I dodged fighter jets and suspicious coyotes while surveying for endangered plants at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. I spent the next five years leading habitat restoration projects for SERG, a non-profit environmental-consulting firm.
Ready for a new challenge, I entered the master's degree program in Environmental Microbiology at UMass Amherst where I built fuel cells driven by bacteria that feed off of organic waste. After graduating, I conducted biofuels research at Mascoma Corporation -- specifically, I helped engineer and test strains of bacteria that convert plants into fuel ethanol (so-called "cellulosic ethanol"). While serving as an assistant editor for Mascoma's website, I rediscovered my skills in writing and editing and later joined the science journalism program at BU.
My interest in writing about science grew during my research career in the environmental and life sciences. I started out at Cornell University studying restoration ecology -- the practice of rebuilding ecosystems by protecting and reintroducing native plant and wildlife communities. This led to an internship in San Diego, California, where I dodged fighter jets and suspicious coyotes while surveying for endangered plants at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. I spent the next five years leading habitat restoration projects for SERG, a non-profit environmental-consulting firm.
Ready for a new challenge, I entered the master's degree program in Environmental Microbiology at UMass Amherst where I built fuel cells driven by bacteria that feed off of organic waste. After graduating, I conducted biofuels research at Mascoma Corporation -- specifically, I helped engineer and test strains of bacteria that convert plants into fuel ethanol (so-called "cellulosic ethanol"). While serving as an assistant editor for Mascoma's website, I rediscovered my skills in writing and editing and later joined the science journalism program at BU.
