ABOUT ME
I'm a science reporter based in Philadelphia.
Several times per week you can catch my radio stories on WHYY, 90.9FM, the local public radio station, or find the web version on the sister site, NewsWorks.org.
My career as a radio journalist began few years ago when as a graduate student at Yale University I had the opportunity to work at a public radio station for a summer covering science as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow.
Already a huge NPR and podcast fan, I fell in love with audio production. My favorite moments were spent in the field--asking a behavioral biologist about his prairie dog colonies, a virologist about the early-stage development of an antiviral drug, and a physicist about a new plasma sanitizing machine--and then figuring out how best to piece together an engaging but concise story for the air.
Following the completion of my Ph.D. in immunobiology, I decided to leave bench science and pursue journalism, including time as an intern with Science Friday in New York City.
You can check out my radio stories, web articles, blog posts and more in the Portfolio section of this site. I am also on Twitter as @jjmcdona, tweeting regularly about science, data, and pretty much anything else on the Internet that catches my fancy.
I currently live in Center City with my highly food-motivated tuxedo cat, Juju.
