# Caitlin Vander Weele, PhD

> Caitlin Vander Weele is the founder and CEO of Stellate Communications. An MIT-trained neuroscientist, she created the collaborative neuroscience art magazine Interstellate before founding the agency in 2020. Her work brings together research, writing, design, and media strategy to help scientific ideas reach wider audiences.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Stellate Communications
- **Organizations:** Stellate Communications, Interstellate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, Russo Partners, Syneos Health
- **Education:** BS, Biopsychology, University of Michigan, PhD, Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Created two self-published Interstellate volumes, distributed free at Society for Neuroscience meetings in 2016 and 2017., Co-authored research published in Nature, Science, and Cell., Founded Stellate Communications, whose team now numbers more than 20.

## Career timeline

- **2015** — Received the Angus MacDonald Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at MIT.
- **2016** — Started Interstellate; the first digital volume appeared in October.
- **2017** — Second Interstellate volume distributed at the Society for Neuroscience meeting; won best poster at the Picower retreat.
- **2018-2021** — Worked in freelance and agency communications, including roles at Russo Partners and Syneos Health.
- **2020** — Founded Stellate Communications.
- **2023** — Presented a careers seminar at the University of Illinois Chicago.
- **2026** — Published essays on framing, media relations, online scientific communities, and writing in job applications.

## Achievements

- Created two self-published Interstellate volumes, distributed free at Society for Neuroscience meetings in 2016 and 2017.
- Co-authored research published in Nature, Science, and Cell.
- Founded Stellate Communications, whose team now numbers more than 20.
- Received MIT’s 2015 Angus MacDonald Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Published “Is Twitter dead? Where science is showing up online.”
- **2026-04** — Published “The new rules of science media relations.”
- **2026-03** — Discussed her transition to entrepreneurship in a Frameshift interview and published an essay about communications job applications in PR Daily.
- **2026-01** — Published an audience-led framework for science communication.

## Links

- Website: https://www.stellatecomms.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitvw
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/caitvw
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/caitvw.bsky.social

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/caitlin-vander-weele
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22