Resume

Thomas Sumner

I am a science communicator, journalist and editor in New York City with over 10 years of experience. My reporting on science research and policy has appeared in outlets such as Science, Science News, The San Jose Mercury News, Live Science, FoxNews.com and Business Insider. While my background is in physics, I am spellbound by everything from smartphone-powered satellites to beaver dams. I create inviting and engaging scientific storytelling through methodical reporting.

Simons FoundationOctober 2023 – Present
Senior Staff Writer and Media Manager

Managed a team of more than a dozen freelance writers, copy editors and designers to create content for the foundation’s website and annual report. Coordinated publicity with other institutions and pitched stories to news outlets. Helmed a national media outreach campaign in advance of the foundation’s 2024 total solar eclipse science engagement initiative. Wrote and edited stories and worked closely with scientific stakeholders to promote their research.

Simons FoundationApril 2020 – October 2023
Senior Staff Writer

Led press releases and served as project manager for the annual report of one of the largest science funders in the United States. Supported the rapidly growing organization’s evolving communications strategy. Helped the publicity push for the discovery of gravitational waves from merging supermassive black holes, one of the biggest science stories of 2023.

Simons FoundationMay 2017 – April 2020
Staff Writer

Penned and coordinated press releases and articles about cutting-edge research supported by the foundation and its in-house research division, the Flatiron Institute. Press releases included the discovery of a planet-eating star, which generated 65 news articles. Project managed and helped edit the foundation’s annual report.

Science NewsJuly 2014 – May 2017
Earth Sciences Reporter

Covered the earth and environmental sciences beat for print and digital editions, scouring journals, talks and current events for original stories. Scoops consistently generated high readership and social media impact, such as a series of stories on the underestimation of methane emissions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ScienceJan – July 2014
News Intern

Reported on scientific research and policy for Science’s news website and print journal, such as precision electron mass measurements and genome encryption. Stories regularly featured on the front page of Reddit and Slashdot.

American Geophysical UnionJune – Dec 2013
Science Writing Intern

Wrote press releases on topics such as a lost Apollo experiment. Organized press conferences and ran social media for the AGU Fall Meeting. Generated coverage by ABC News, Wired, Science News, the Washington Post and others.

Stanford UniversityMarch – June 2013
News Service Intern

The CalifornianJan – March 2013
Science Writing Intern

American Institute of PhysicsSept – Dec 2012
Newswriting Intern, Inside Science News Service

University of California, Santa Cruz2013
Science Communication Graduate Certificate

University of California, Santa Cruz2012
Physics Bachelor of Science

• College Service Award
• Social Justice and Community Leadership Award
• Research assistant for NASA space weather mission

AP Style, WordPress, PHP, HTML, CSS, SEO (Certified), Python, Photoshop, InDesign, Google Analytics

National Association of Science Writers (NASW), Science Writers in New York (SWINY), The Society for Editing (ACES)

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