Thomas Sumner

I am a science communicator and editor in New York City with more than 12 years of experience translating complexity into excitement. My background in physics and journalism enables me to craft and implement editorial strategies that resonate with diverse audiences.

Career

Simons Foundation, New York City

Managing Editor
Feb 2025 – Present

  • Supervised the foundation’s editorial team, managing both in-house and freelance writers
  • Developed and maintained an editorial calendar to promote the organization’s communications goals
  • Led press release and media outreach efforts for promoting the scientific work of the Simons Foundation’s in-house research arm, the Flatiron Institute

Senior Staff Writer and Media Manager
Oct 2023 – Feb 2025

  • 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
  • Wrote and edited stories and worked closely with scientific stakeholders to promote their research

Senior Staff Writer
April 2020 – Oct 2023

  • Led press releases and served as project manager for the annual report of one of the largest science funders in the United States
  • Helped the publicity push for the discovery of gravitational waves from merging supermassive black holes, one of the biggest science stories of 2023

Staff Writer
May 2017 – April 2020

  • Penned and coordinated press 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 assisted in editing the foundation’s annual report

Science News Magazine, Washington, D.C.

Earth Sciences Reporter
July 2014 – May 2017

  • Covered the earth and environmental sciences beat for print and digital editions, scouring journals, talks and current events for original stories
  • Stories adapted for Science News Explores, a publication aimed at children ages 9 and up
  • 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

Science, Washington, D.C.

News Intern
Jan 2014 – July 2014

  • 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 Reddit’s front page

American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.

Science Writing Intern
June 2013 – Dec 2013

  • Wrote press releases and blog posts on topics such as a lost Apollo experiment and using cellphones to gather weather data. Organized press conferences and ran social media for the AGU Fall Meeting, one of the world’s largest scientific conferences

Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.

News Service Intern
April 2013 – June 2013

  • Wrote press releases related to groundbreaking Stanford University research projects, such as a lost opera recovered at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and the ethics of bringing back extinct species. Press releases picked up by LiveScience, Wired.co.uk, NPR, The Daily Mail, ABC, the Mumbai Mirror and others

The Californian, Salinas, Calif.

Science Writing Intern
Jan 2013 – April 2013

  • Reported breaking science, ecology and agriculture news around the California Central Coast, including the growing demand for drones in agriculture. Stories were regularly featured on the newspaper’s front page

American Institute of Physics, Remote

Newswriting Intern, Inside Science News Service
Sept 2012 – Dec 2012

  • Researched, pitched and wrote news articles and blog posts on recent breakthroughs and ongoing research in a variety of scientific fields, such as bubble-popping chemotherapy delivery and the biophysics of Venus flytraps. Stories syndicated to FoxNews.com, The Daily Mail, LiveScience and others

Chegg, Remote

Expert Solutions Author (Contract)
July 2012 – Jan 2013

  • Wrote solutions manuals for a conceptual physical sciences textbook and an introductory quantum mechanics textbook
Education

University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Science Communication Graduate Certificate
2013

University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Bachelor of Science in Physics
2012

  • College Service Award
  • Social Justice & Community Leadership Certificate
  • Research assistant for NASA space weather mission
Professional Memberships
  • National Association of Science Writers (NASW)
  • Science Writers in New York (SWINY)
  • The Society for Editing (ACES)
Volunteer Experience
  • Speaker and panelist at events hosted by the New York Hall of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, the Society for Science, the American Institute of Physics and others
  • Judging committee member for the National Association of Science Writers’ 2024 Excellence in Institutional Writing Awards
  • Moderator of Reddit’s r/journalism (86,000 members) and r/journalismjobs (9,100 members) subreddits
Skills
  • AP style
  • Content strategy
  • CSS, HTML, PHP
  • Editing
  • Google Analytics
  • InDesign, Photoshop
  • Media training
  • Monday.com
  • Project management
  • Python
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Social media
  • Team leadership
  • WordPress