Science Writer

Responsibilities

• Promote Princeton's Teaching, Research, and Service Missions
• Ensure broad internal and external coverage of the University's teaching, research, and service missions, with a particular emphasis on science.
• Develop story ideas, identify research news opportunities, and produce compelling news and feature stories for the University homepage, institutional publications, external media audiences, and social media platforms.
• Collaborate closely with multimedia staff to create engaging storytelling across multiple formats.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with faculty, staff, administrators, and communications partners across campus to identify story opportunities and cultivate sources within Princeton's scientific research community.
• Serve as a collaborative resource for communications partners and connect faculty and staff with colleagues across the Office of Communications, including the Social Media, Media Relations, Internal Communications, and Multimedia teams.
• Help coordinate the dissemination of news and information across University communications channels.
• Provide support for general news coverage and assist with coverage of other editorial team members' beats, including the humanities, social sciences, and campus life, as needed during peak periods.
• Contribute to the development of editorial content for major print, digital, and multimedia projects produced by the Office of Communications and campus partners.
• Partner with stakeholders to develop, refine, and finalize content that meets communications objectives and editorial standards.
• Support Communications Operations and Team Goals
• Actively participate in team meetings and planning discussions.
• Maintain accurate records of stories, projects, and communications activities in designated tracking systems and databases.
• Aid in the coverage and promotion of major University events, including Commencement and Opening Exercises.
• Pursue ongoing professional development to stay current with best practices in science communication, journalism, and digital storytelling.
• Regularly communicate workload, priorities, and project status to the Managing Editor to ensure effective allocation of resources and timely completion of assignments.
• Contribute to achieving broader Office of Communications goals and priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Four to six years of professional experience in a fast-paced writing, journalism, communications, or public relations environment.
• Demonstrated experience translating complex research for broad audiences.
• Strong understanding of current developments and emerging trends in the sciences, as well as a broad awareness of news and current events.
• Excellent writing, editing, proofreading, and interviewing skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and digital content management systems such as Drupal.
• Experience collaborating on multimedia projects, including video, photography, graphic design, or other digital storytelling initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of AP Style.