Brown University

About: I am the associate director of the Brain Science Program, an interdisciplinary group of researchers at Brown University. I facilitate and promote innovative brain science research projects that involve Brown faculty from diverse disciplines: neuroscience, physics, engineering, cognitive science, psychiatry, and more. We support scientists who not only conduct basic research, but translate basic findings into commercial applications.

By training, I am a molecular biologist and biophysicist; by craft, I am a science writer.

The thread that ties together all my professional endeavors is a desire to get "in the trenches" of science to analyze research, and emerge to put findings into a broader context.

My writing has been published in Science, Cell, Newsweek, Wired, and other publications. Before coming to Brown, I spent four years as associate editor and news writer for Science Magazine's Web site devoted to the biology of aging.

I currently enjoy pondering and writing about aging, neuroscience, infectious disease, 19th and early 20th century scientific expeditions, and the interface (or disjunction) between basic research and the real world.

Title Associate Director

Organization Brain Science Program, Brown University

What are five keys to innovation? vision, perseverance, ambition, creativity, thick skin

What are the keys to collaboration across traditional boundaries? Willingness to communicate with those whose language you don't understand; ability to zero in on the most important problems and identifying who can contribute to the most creative (yet still useful) solution.

What talents or resources do you bring to this community? Understanding of the basic research enterprise; ability to communicate science

Dream partnerships: Which people, organizations, or industry sectors would you or your organization most want to partner with? Other universities, biotech companies, museums, anyone interested in catalyzing research and development in Rhode Island