About
Lauren J. Young is an Associate Editor at Popular Science where she covers health inequities, environmental justice, biodiversity, space exploration, history, and culture. Before joining PopSci in 2021, she was a digital producer and reporter at public radio’s Science Friday.
Experience
Lauren joined Popular Science as an Associate Editor in 2021. She’s edited and written stories that tackle a wide range of subjects, including the latest COVID-19 variants and at-home tests, emerging fungal diseases, ancient bird tongues, and the genetics behind our fingerprint patterns. She is as passionate about covering health inequities and environmental justice issues, as she is about cephalopods, insects, and other many-armed and legged creatures.
Her reporting has taken her to a paleontological dig in the Utah desert, a lab where scientists milk ticks for their saliva, and countless natural history museum archives and libraries. Most recently, she was a reporter and digital producer at public radio’s Science Friday, where she wrote and produced more than 150 stories. Her multimedia feature on the overlooked fungal disease, valley fever was recognized at the 2021 Society of Environmental Journalist Awards. She’s appeared as a guest on SciFri’s radio show and stage events, and has spoken on panels for the Asian American Journalists Association, American Library Association, and the New York Botanical Garden.
Lauren is currently based in New York City, but proudly hails from the San Joaquin Valley of California.
Education
Lauren received her bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2014, where she studied biology and minored in English. In 2015, She earned a master’s degree in journalism from New York University’s Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program.
