Eleanor Cummins
Contributor
Eleanor Cummins is a freelance science journalist writing about death, disaster, and bowling balls. Between 2017 and 2019 she worked at Popular Science, where she worked her way up from intern to assistant editor. She is an adjunct professor in New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program.
Highlights
- Idea-generating machine focused on climate change, mental health, and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
- Reliable reporter and analytical writer offering a critical eye on the intersection of science and society
- Bylines in more than 30 national and local news outlets
Experience
Eleanor Cummins is a freelance science journalist. She is a columnist at The New Republic and a contributor to Wired Ideas. Her writing can also be found in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Cut, National Geographic, Curbed, Vox, Mic, Nieman Lab, Scientific American, The Verge, Insider, Slate, Atlas Obscura, Self, Vice, Bright Wall/Dark Room, Ars Technica, Elemental, OneZero, The Outline, The Guardian, Gizmodo, Quartz, Science Friday, and Popular Science, where she previously worked as an assistant editor.
Eleanor is represented by Catherine Cho of Paper Literary. In 2017, she graduated from New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program, where she now serves as an adjunct assistant professor. Eleanor is also a frequent collaborator on innovative science communication workshops for graduate students at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. As part of her commitment to advancing equity in journalism, she maintains a History of Journalism Reading List.
Eleanor received the 2018 Edible Award for her reporting on New York City oysters. Her work has been featured on numerous local NPR productions, Longreads, Science Friday, the Daily Dive, the Brian Lehrer Show, Cheddar, and more.
Education
Eleanor Cummins earned her undergraduate degree in medical anthropology and global health from the University of Washington. She was an editor at The Daily, the campus newspaper, and contributed to research on adolescent health and social media at the Seattle Children’s Research. Eleanor earned her Master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting from New York University.
Favorite weird science fact
Frankincense and myrrh are both resins from trees through a process called “gummosis”!
Notable Work
- The worst answer to climate change: wellness The New Republic
- Osteopathy is a uniquely American form of medicine The Atlantic
- No, You Can’t Recycle a Bowling Ball (But People Keep Trying) New York Magazine
- Bats, museums, and viruses collide in this scientific love story National Geographic
- What We Don’t Know About OCD Vox