Shraddha Chakradhar

Experience

Associate News Editor
Nature Medicine                                                                     Sept. 2014-Present

• Write briefs and feature stories for the news section of the journal
• Manage the journal’s social media accounts
• Edit, fact-check, source images and perform other editorial duties to assist with the timely publication of the journal.
• Promoted from Assistant News Editor to Associate News Editor in June 2016

Freelance Science Journalist

• Conducted research for Little Bay Pictures for two NOVA episodes (Oct. 2013); research and fact-checking for World Science Festival (May 2014)
• Publication Roll: Nature Outlook, Nature Medicine, Scientific American, Beacon Reader, Harvard Medicine News, NovaNext, Harvard Medicine Magazine, BioIT-World (see Portfolio)

WGBH Educational Foundation
Associate Researcher- NOVA Unit                                    May 2013- Sept. 2014

• Responsible for checking the scientific and historical accuracy of NOVA episodes in production.
• Conducted background research and assisted with editorial development of new episodes.

42 Degrees North Films
Associate Producer                                                                Feb. 2013-July 2013

• Produced 4 short videos on the Human Genome Project  that are currently a part of the “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code” exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
• Duties ranged from scheduling interviews and conducting background research to conducting archival research and sourcing B-roll footage and imagery

MIT News Office
News Correspondent                                                        March 2013-July 2013

• Wrote profiles of graduate students who are conducting compelling research at MIT.

Harvard Medical School, Office of Communications and External Relations

Science Writer                                                                      May 2012-Dec. 2012

• Primarily write stories, both feature and news style, about scientific research conducted at HMS and its affiliated hospitals.
• Formal internship period ended in December 2012, but continuing to freelance for them.

MassDevice.com
Editorial Intern                                                                   June 2012-Aug. 2012

• Updated online journal website with latest stories about the medical device industry, including FDA regulations and financial news.

The Comment- Boston University College of Communication’s Graduate Magazine
Editor                                                                                  Sept. 2011-May 2012

• Conducted weekly meetings, supervised 10 staff members in story development and writing process.
• Edited final versions of articles, collected art work, and contributed to design and layout of magazine.

COM Career Services
Résumé and Cover Letter Specialist                                   Sept. 2011-May 2012

• Helped students within the College of Communication improve their résumés and cover letters.

Murray State University Writing Center
Writing Consultant                                                            Aug. 2010-May 2011

• Helped graduate and undergraduate students (particularly non-native English speakers) across various disciplines with writing assignments.

Notations- Murray State University’s Undergraduate Creative Writing Journal                   

Editor, promoted from Fiction Editor                                Aug. 2010-May 2011

• Organized submissions of work, supervised contributing editors during the editing process.
• Coordinated with the Department of Art and the Publishing Office to design and print the magazine.

Education

Boston University College of Communication
M.S. in Science Journalism                                                      Jan. 2013

Murray State University
B.A. in Liberal Arts, Cum Laude and Honors Diploma Recipient
Concentrations in English and Chemistry, Minor in Biology
Study Abroad Program in London, UK: Courses in British Literature and Theatre

Skills 

Computer Skills: Excellent Mac and PC skills, Microsoft Office Suite, Knowledge of Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, AP Style, InDesign, Social Media (Hootsuite, Buffer, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook)
Language Skills: Proficient in Hindi, Conversant in Tamil and Basic Knowledge of Spanish
Other Skills: Experience conducting archival research for visual media, knowledge of licensing and copyright procedures
Memberships and volunteer work: New England Science Writers member, National Association of Science Writers (NASW) member, co-chair of NASW Diversity Committee since September 2016
Honors: Jackson Laboratory Press Week Fellowship recipient (July 2015)

Research

Assistant to Dr. Chris Trzepacz, Assistant Professor of Biology, Murray State University

• Surveyed biology majors and non-majors to assess their perception of the sciences to help biology professors implement better teaching methods.

Lab Assistant to Dr. Kevin Revell, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Murray State University                  

• Conducted experiments to solicit organic compounds for use in solar cells.

Assistant to Dr. Kevin Binfield, Professor of English, Murray State University

• Conducted extensive archival research to piece together a biography of British maidservant poet Frances Greensted. A research grant of $500 was awarded in October 2010 towards this project.

Previous Honors, Recognitions and Memberships

Boston University Knight Fund Gift Recipient
Boston University Graduate Scholarship Recipient
Murray State University John W. Carr Scholarship Recipient
American Association of University Women Scholarship Recipient

Omicron Delta Kappa-Leadership Honor Society Member
Sigma Tau Delta–English Honor Society Member, Named Outstanding Senior Member 2011
Murray State University Ambassador for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Trover Rural Health Scholars Program: Internship for premedical students in Madisonville, KY (July 2010-Aug 2010).
Rutgers English Diversity Institute: One of 12 students nationwide chosen to participate (June 4-11, 2010)