Themes
My work focuses on climate, energy, and cities and how they relate to the natural world. I also explore the future of publishing and science journalism at Future Proof, the first product review site to focus on climate change. Previously, I wrote and published Per Square Mile, where I dove into scientific research and experiment with ways to tell long stories in brief installments.
I'm currently senior climate reporter at TechCrunch, where I report on climate tech and investment in world-changing technologies. I've interviewed hundreds of founders and investors, including live at TechCrunch Disrupt and Early Stage, the organization's two flagship events. I also guest host podcasts for TechCrunch.
Outside of my work at TechCrunch, I'm a senior lecturer in MIT's Graduate Program in Science Writing, a highly selective Master's program. In 2018–2019, I was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, where I took classes in architecture, electrochemistry, social enerprise, and entrepreneurship at MIT and Harvard. Prior to my fellowship, I was senior digital editor at NOVA, where founded the award-winnning digital magazine NOVA Next. I earned by PhD in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California, Berkeley, under Maggi Kelly and my BA in English, environmental studies, and biology from St. Olaf College.
If you're interested in having me speak, send me a note.
Past Appearances
2024
June 26, 2024
Breakthrough Energy Summit 2024
Deep Dive: Accelerating Decarbonization Through Breakthrough Innovations (Hydrogen Ecosystem)
Moderator
April 25, 2024
TechCrunch Early Stage 2024
Selecting the Right Accelerator or Incubator
Moderator
2023
September 24, 2023
TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
What do you need to raise a Series A today?
Moderator
September 19, 2023
TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
Doing Something Concrete on Climate Change With Rick Fox and Partanna
Moderator
2022
October 19, 2022
TechCrunch Disrupt 2022
Building Companies with Longer Time Horizons
Moderator
June 14, 2022
TC Sessions: Climate
Ground Floor Green: Early Stage Climate VC
Moderator
2020
November 17, 2020
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Science & Lived Experience: Food, Land, and Water — A Storytelling Workshop
Invited moderator
2019
July 2, 2019
World Conference of Science Journalists, Lausanne, Switzerland
How to earn a living in the new media landscape: innovative business models and how they work
Invited moderator
2015
October 10, 2015
ScienceWriters 2015
Data journalism for every scale and skill level
Co-organizer and speaker
October 9, 2015
ComSciCon
Headline and Lede Writing
Invited expert
August 6, 2015
National Association of Black Journalists
Pitch Slam
Invited panelist
April 23, 2015
All Things Considered, WGBH Radio
Scientists Modify Human Embryos... and it’s Ethically Awkward
Radio interview
April 18, 2015
Cambridge Science Festival, Cambridge, MA
Reinventing a Genre: Pushing the Limits of Science Writing
Invited moderator
2014
October 16, 2014
Greater Boston, WGBH TV
Latest Robots Come From All Over The World To Boston
TV interview
September 24, 2014
Greater Boston, WGBH TV
What We Can Learn From Maven’s Voyage Around Mars
TV interview
July 21, 2014
Greater Boston, WGBH TV
Genetic Breakthrough: Discovery Has Potential To Wipe Out Malaria
TV interview
2013
August 16, 2013
Science Friday
Hyperloop: Hype or Future Transportation?
Radio interview
August 16, 2013
PRI's The World
Is Hyperloop the Future of Travel?
Radio interview
February 26, 2013
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Environment 150: Environmental Communications in the Anthropocene
Guest lecture
February 20, 2013
Sarah Lawrence College, Yonkers, NY
Paved, Poor, and Crowded: The Future of the World's Cities
Invited talk
2012
September 20, 2012
Marketplace
A new way to measure income inequality
Radio interview
June 14, 2012
The Takeaway
Income Inequality, As Seen from the Tree Tops
Radio interview
July 12, 2012
Boston Public Radio
Greening the City
Radio interview