# Katherine Wu

> Katherine J. Wu, Ph.D. is a staff science writer at The Atlantic and one of the most respected science journalists working today. A former Harvard bacteriologist turned acclaimed writer, she translates complex biology - from pandemic viruses to the sex lives of deep-sea creatures - into stories that are simultaneously rigorous and riveting. Winner of the 2024 Kovler Prize and the 2022 Schmidt Award for Science Communication, she has reported for The New York Times, National Geographic, and Smithsonian, and holds a PhD in Microbiology and Immunobiology from Harvard. She writes the newsletter The Pivot, covering science and health.

- **Role:** Staff Writer at The Atlantic
- **Organizations:** The Atlantic, The Open Notebook, Story Collider, Harvard University (alumna)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard University, Bachelor's degree, Unknown (started as English major)
- **Known for:** Inaugural Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism (2024) - $25,000 honorarium from FNIH, Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication (2022), Science in Society Journalism Award (2021)

## Career timeline

- **2018** — AAAS Mass Media Fellow at Smithsonian Magazine
- **2018-2020** — Wrote for NOVA (PBS), Undark Magazine, and other science outlets
- **2020** — Won Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists
- **2020-2021** — Science and health reporter at The New York Times, covering COVID-19
- **2021** — Won Science in Society Journalism Award
- **2021** — Joined The Atlantic as Staff Writer covering science
- **2022** — Won Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication
- **2022** — Published landmark piece on animal origins of COVID-19 in The Atlantic
- **2024** — Won inaugural Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism ($25,000 honorarium)

## Achievements

- Inaugural Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism (2024) - $25,000 honorarium from FNIH
- Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication (2022)
- Science in Society Journalism Award (2021)
- Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award for Young Science Journalists (2020)
- AAAS Mass Media Fellow (2018)
- Selected for Best American Science and Nature Writing anthologies
- PhD in Microbiology and Immunobiology from Harvard University
- Senior Editor at The Open Notebook (resource for science journalists)
- Senior Producer at Story Collider (science storytelling nonprofit)

## Latest updates

- **2024-10** — Won inaugural Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism at FNIH Awards Ceremony
- **2024-2025** — Reporting on Trump administration research funding cuts and CDC vaccine panel restructuring
- **2025** — Covering measles outbreak spreading across 30+ U.S. states
- **2025** — Continues writing The Pivot newsletter on science and health

## Links

- Website: https://katherinejwu.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherinejwu
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/KatherineJWu

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/katherine-wu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-22