Jennifer Welsh

I write news features for the journal Engineering on novel biomedical research.

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• Writing evergreen content for Verywell Health focused on cancer, infectious diseases, and treatment modalities
• Working with the news team writing articles for the Verywell COVID-19 vaccine sentiment survey project

I wrote a series of articles for Parents.com on weeks 26 through 29 of pregnancy, with personal stories of my own diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

I've written data-based features and quick news items for SleepFoundation.org.

Writing researched SEO-focused content for HealthDay's various content contracts. My main focus has been producing cancer and oncology-related content aimed at patients for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

As Editor-in-Chief at WonderHowTo, I developed the editorial direction and ran all editorial operations of our three brands: WonderHowTo (Null Byte), Gadget Hacks, and Next Reality. 

• I managed three editorial teams (including dozens of freelancers). 
• I kept our sites to a budget. 
• I spearheaded partnerships with publications and aggregators.
• I created and managed affiliate programs and partnerships.
• I managed our social media strategy and trained staff on various platforms. 
• I managed each site’s editorial calendar. 
• I did the majority of the hiring and firing. 
• I investigated and developed new revenue streams.

Gadget Hacks:

• I built publisher-press officer relationships with major phone carriers and manufacturers.
• I developed, ideated, and chaperoned significant projects, including a phone comparison database and cellphone testing protocols.
• Managed a content calendar of new phones and operating system releases and updates to ensure we planned for significant interest spikes.
• Created a new editorial approach to smartphone coverage focused on how people use their phones, spearheaded monthly content focus on each of those pillars (e.g., Privacy & Security week, Music & Audio week)

Null Byte:

• I guided our team in building the Null Byte YouTube channel (Cyber Weapons Lab) to more than 500,000 subscribers.

Next Reality:

• I created the editorial vision for a site devoted to covering augmented and mixed reality.
• Developed and helped edit and design the annual Next Reality list of movers and shakers in augmented reality.

Senior Editor, Tech Insider (July 2015 - March 2016)

I played an integral part in creating, conceptualizing, developing, and launching the site Tech Insider. My role included writing, editing, and hiring and managing reporters. I helped hone our approach to launching the new site, creating launch content, navigating social media, and building our brand.

Senior Editor, Science & Health, Business Insider (October 2014 - July 2015)

When promoted to senior editor for Business Insider’s science and health sections in 2014, I grew the team to 8 writers, covering everything from SpaceX launches to Ebola outbreaks and cosmic microwave background radiation to biotechnology news. We reached a monthly high of more than 14 million page views for the vertical during my tenure. 

I also planned upcoming coverage, helped develop reporting packages — including commissioned series for advertisers — and supervised the site’s daily working, including our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Science Editor, Business Insider (July 2012 - October 2014)

As the founding Science Editor at Business Insider, I developed a long-term editorial vision for the site and created the fastest-growing new vertical on Business Insider. As the site editor, I not only wrote, edited, and curated content for Business Insider Science, but as we grew, I hired interns and reporters to fill out our team. I helped reporters hone their craft and worked with them to develop an original and unique editorial voice and approach.

New York, New York — Sept 2010 - Jan 2011

I wrote aggregated posts for the Discover blogs while managing other web-based tasks. 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — June 2010 - Sept 2010

I wrote researched and reported web news stories and print features, including a long-form feature published in the magazine.

San Francisco, CA — March 2010 - June 2010

I wrote researched and reported articles for the WIRED Science Blog based on new research.

Santa Cruz, CA — January 2010 - March 2010

I wrote reported news stories for the paper. 

Stanford, CA — September 2009 - December 2009

I wrote news releases and blogs on new research and studies happening at Stanford.

Part of my role at Prosetta was piloting new research programs.

• I studied the correlation of apoptosis and the expression of prion protein and its conformers in pancreatic b-cells. We exposed both immortalized cell lines and primary cultured islets to different stress conditions, including different glucose levels and the presence of free fatty acid. 
• I performed the radioactive labeling of cells, then lysed and fractionated them, digested with proteinase K, and immunoprecipitated radioactively labeled protein and protein fragments. 
• Piloted the cell-free expression of GB Virus capsid protein in a wheat germ extract system to produce the assembly of capsid-like structures. We visualized the capsid structures through the incorporation of radiolabeled methionine on a sucrose step gradient.
• Developed systems to detect prostatic acid phosphatase protein conformers when expressed using different signal sequences in mammalian cells. 

I also helped with grant writing and pharma presentations.

• Created presentations and slides for presentations to pharmaceutical companies, investors, scientific meetings, NIH, NIAID, DOD, and many others.
• Helped prepare documents for grant submissions.
• Created figures of data for grant submissions.

I developed in-house testing for the toxicity of the company’s antiviral drugs and analyzed the live-virus data from our partners' experiments.

• Planned and executed cell-based toxicity experiments. 
• Set up and troubleshot several screening assays. 
• Analyzed data from live-virus plaque assays. 
• Analyzed data from various cytotoxicity and cell survival assays. 
• Performed QRT-PCR. 
• Analyzed data from reporter virus assay data, including GFP, SEAP, fluorescence, and luciferase readouts. 
• Analyzed data from animal PKPD, toxicity, and bioavailability studies. 
• Analyzed animal data from live virus challenge studies. 
• Helped design animal and cell-based experiments. 
• Set up western blotting screens for protein production level controls on samples from a fluorescence-based high throughput screen. 
• Development of in vitro CYP450 inhibition screening assays using porcine liver microsomes- fluorescent and metabolite based screens. 
• Development of in vitro assays to determine compound metabolism by liver enzymes and half-life. 

I managed the Biosafety Level 2 Facilities.

• Managed the mammalian cell culture lab, created and maintained cell line stocks. 
• Provided cultures to colleagues, seeding cells for experiments. 
• Stocked supplies, cleaned, and maintained equipment. 
• Taught colleagues, interns, and new hires mammalian tissue culture and sterile techniques. 
• Wrote protocols and kept up to date with the latest technologies, troubleshot problems. 
• Radiolabeling and transfection of cell cultures. 

I tracked down compounds that our experiments had determined could potentially have antiviral properties to test in animals.

• Organized the data and created a compound tracking database. 
• Source compounds from a variety of companies. 
• Gathered information on compounds through the use of databases and scholarly articles.

Mentor: Dr. Martin Tenniswood

• Laboratory research on the role of histone remodeling in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. 
• Poster Presentation, Great Lakes Division of the American Cancer Society, October 2005

Mentor: Dr. Martin Tenniswood

• Assisted graduate student Somdutta Roy with NIH-funded research on prostate cancer. 
• Participated in the annual meeting of the European Association for Cancer Research, Innsbruck, Austria, June 2004.

Mentor: Dr. Michelle Whaley

• Mentored undergraduate students in project-based Molecular Genetics laboratory (Bios 250L).
• Helped with lab set-up, assisted student teams during the lab, tutored students, proctored exams, and helped with grading. 

• Independent, semester-long team research project titled “Characterization of the Effects of Lignans in HepG2 Cells”. 

Mentor: Dr. JoEllen Welsh

Helped develop and characterize cell lines from wild-type and vitamin D receptor knockout mice.

September 2008 — August 2009

I was publisher of the Insider magazine, the annual orientation magazine of De Anza Community College. 

Relevant Coursework:

• Insider Magazine Staff and Copy Editor
• Newspaper Freelance