Alisa Machalek

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Alisa Machalek

Senior science writer, National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C.

For more than 20 years, Alisa has attempted to make biomedical research understandable and interesting to the public (which, after all, is paying for it). She interviews NIGMS-supported scientists across the nation, telling their stories in Findings magazine, Biomedical Beat blog articles, videos, posters, Instagram posts, Congressional write-ups, science festival activities, and a series of award-winning science education booklets. Occasionally, she gets juicy projects like working with a playwright to feature evolutionary biology on stage, collaborating with museums on science-based exhibits, or creating a gallery of stunning microscopy photos displayed in Washington Dulles International Airport.

Alisa earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in biochemistry and worked as a researcher in 10 different laboratories before she realized she liked learning, explaining, and discussing science more than actually doing it. She solidified her career pivot by earning a graduate certificate in science communications from the UC Santa Cruz program.

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