Bio:

Rachel Tompa is a science and health writer and editor. A former molecular biologist, she’s been telling science stories since 2007 and has covered the gamut of science topics, including the microbiome, the human brain, pregnancy, evolution, science policy and infectious disease. She delights in finding the hidden stories of the people behind the science, the people impacted by science, and how science intersects with society.

At the Allen Institute, Rachel writes stories and creates podcast episodes covering all the Institute’s scientific divisions. She received a B.A. in biology from the University of Chicago, a Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz.