I am an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Science News, Anthropocene, High Country News, and other outlets.

My reporting has won several awards, including the 2018 National Academies Keck Futures Initiatives Communication Award  for a story about mental health research in refugees from Iraq.  

My research has been supported by the National Press Foundation, the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the USC Annenberg Health Journalism Fellowship, and the Harvard Medical School Media Fellowship.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in Science and Technology Studies at Brown, and a master’s degree in science writing at Johns Hopkins, I spent 2012-2016 covering neuroscience as a staff writer for Science at its Washington, D.C. headquarters.

In 2022 I joined Knowable Magazine, where I write, edit, and produce live online conversations with scientists. We’ve talked about topics ranging from disaster insurance and climate finance, to vaccine equity, and the brain across the lifespan. I also also write for the the delightful science writing blog The Last Word on Nothing.

You can reach me at emily.l.underwood@gmail.com and intermittently on whatever we now call Twitter: @em_underwood