Hello there! Thanks for stopping by.

I’m a freelance science journalist based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where I am a settler on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations. 

Captivated by the natural world and its stories, I write mainly about living things but also non-living ones like dinosaurs, energy, and climate. I especially like writing about quirky animal behaviour, wildlife conservation, and environmental health. I’ve also written extensively about the challenges of freelancing. I’m fascinated by the intersection of science, human rights, Indigenous knowledge, and policy. When reporting from the field, I produce photography and videography to accompany my work. I enjoy collaborating and enthusiastically engage in all media -- print, web, audio, video, TV.

My writing appears internationally in outlets like the New York Times, BBC Future, Natural History, BioScience, Nature, Science, Knowable, Science News, Scientific American, National Geographic, and many more.

Available for hire for speaking and teaching engagements, I have trained many scientists how to successfully engage with science journalists and become better science communicators.

Early life.

I grew up in Elginburg (a rural village just north of Kingston, Ontario), on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Indigenous Peoples. I am so grateful to have been able to live, learn and play on these lands. 

As a toddler, I picked up garter snakes and woolly bear caterpillars, pushing them around proudly in my baby carriage. To this day, many of my story ideas are inspired by time spent in the outdoors hiking, biking, running, snowshoeing, canoeing and skiing.

Education & Training

Beginning my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto with a music scholarship, I soon veered into Zoology. During my Master’s at York University (Ontario, Canada), I scrambled through prickly undergrowth tracking young hooded warblers in Pennsylvanian and Yucatan forests. For my PhD at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC) I waded on Fraser Delta mudflats and farm fields studying shorebirds. During postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC), I hiked up mountains before dawn to study migrating songbirds.

I leapt from scientist to science journalist following training opportunities at Mediabistro, Science Communications and Investigative Journalism programs at the Banff Centre, the Santa Fe Science Writers program and Courage Camp for freelancers in Colorado. Now writing internationally for a diverse array of outlets, my interests are eclectic ranging from ancient to modern, terrestrial to atmospheric, esoteric to applied. My stories often cover life’s diversity from tiny microbes to massive elephants.

What motivates me?

The greatest joys of my profession are speaking to amazing, passionate people and learning new things every day. I’m often inspired by the beauty and wonder of nature.