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.