Posted On: April 27, 2020

Contributor

Media Organization: AskNature.org

Company Description

AskNature is the world’s most comprehensive library of nature’s solutions to human design challenges, featuring information on natural phenomena and bio-inspired applications written for a general audience. The intention of AskNature is to inspire, engage, educate and reconnect audiences to nature’s 3.8 billion years of wisdom.

Job Description

AskNature.org, a program of the Biomimicry Institute, is seeking several talented science writers to research academic papers, compose biological strategy pages and help bolster our database of nature-driven solutions. At this time, we are going through a relaunch process, and in an effort to ensure that the holistic vision of biomimicry is served, we are looking to update our pages to reflect the three pillars of biomimicry: ethos, emulate and reconnect. We are committed to storytelling that engages audiences who may not usually find themselves on a scientific website, but feel the deep need to connect and learn from the natural world. If you’re a highly detail-oriented researcher, an engaging writer, and have a passion for biology, nature, and the science behind it all, we’d love to hear from you.

Job Function:
Each Science Writer will produce biological strategy pages summarizing specific adaptations of a particular organism. The goal of these pages is to convey the different ways in which nature has solved a particular problem and offer suggestions for how we can emulate these adaptations to solve various human challenges.

Primary duties:
· Research biological topics (both assigned and independently identified), read and analyze related scientific literature, and assess accuracy of scientific claims
· Summarize findings and synthesize data through accessible and engaging language for general and youth audiences
· Source related images and videos and build strategy pages within the AskNature.org CMS platform (WordPress) for publication

Qualifications and skills desired:
· Superior understanding of life sciences
· Strong writing, editing and proofreading skills
· Strong analytical and research skills
· Graduate degree in science writing, journalism or related field
· 2-3 years professional science writing experience preferred
· Familiarity with G Suite and WordPress or other CMS platforms
· Interest in communicating science through accessible language
· Ability to self-manage and meet deadlines
· Experience writing for youth and general audiences a plus
· Familiarity with biomimetic concepts a plus
Details and application submission guidelines:

This is a contract position offering up to 40 hours per week (3-4 strategy pages per week; each page takes on average about 10-15 hours to produce), depending on the writer’s availability, interest and skill level. On average, writers can expect to make $20-30 per hour.

To Apply

To apply, please send a brief cover letter along with your resume or CV and two writing samples to editor@asknature.org, all in PDF form with your name included in the title of each file. For example, your submitted CV should be labeled, "LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.CV.pdf"