About
Jess Boddy started at PopSci as an Editorial Assistant back in 2019. Since then, she’s helped edit the science section, produced the wellness series Test Dummy, and now, as Special Projects Editor, she leads audio projects. In her free time, she plays Fromsoftware games on Twitch and hangs out with her beagle mix Flora.
Experience
Jess’s career started back in undergrad at the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied biology and chemistry. After a lot of lab work and herpetology field work, she knew neither route was for her—then, she discovered science journalism! Interning at Pitt Med Magazine, the school’s medical school publication (and former workplace of award-winning writer and former PopSci editor Rebecca Skloot), she realized she could make a career of her enthusiasm for science while still flexing creative muscles.
Since then, she internship-hopped from Science Magazine, to NPR, to PopSci, to Gizmodo, to New York Magazine. Tech trends, internet culture, and space news were her bread and butter. She wrote text, trained in producing audio content, and dipped her toes in editing videos. After finishing her Masters in Science Journalism at New York University, she became much more focused on editing and multimedia. Over my three years at PopSci, she’s spent time on and off the clock honing my audio/video production skills, and considers herself an expert podcast producer. Currently, she produces The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week with host Rachel Feltman, and launched a new show, Ask Us Anything.
Education
Jess studied biology, chemistry, and creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh as an undergraduate. After obtaining a B.S. in 2016, she received an M.A. in Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting from New York University in 2019.
Highlights
- Expertise in audio engineering and production, video editing, production management
- Trained in audio production at NPR
- Hosted videos for Gizmodo, published written work in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Science Magazine, and more
- Produce live gaming content on Twitch three nights a week
Favorite weird science fact
Star Wars’ tie fighters’ sounds are made up of elephants and car engines!
