Hi! I'm Carmen Drahl.

I’m a journalist, editor, and project manager with a focus on science and health. 

Clients hire me to handle projects before they get overwhelming. I specialize in developmental editing and end-to-end management of multi-story packages. I've shepherded special projects for Chemical & Engineering News, a public-private partnership between The Kavli Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and The Open Notebook. I help journalists and subject matter experts enrich their work by interpreting it from a reader's perspective, while also maintaining their unique voices.

My own reporting on chemistry, biomedicine, plastic waste, and food has appeared at NPR, Knowable, Forbes, Science News, and elsewhere. Work I've edited or produced has won awards from the D.C. Science Writers Association and Folio.

I coordinate strategies to support caregivers for the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), including a peer-to-peer support network and virtual and in-person gatherings. I also volunteer as a screener and judge for science communication awards.

Before becoming a journalist, I earned a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry at Princeton University.

I live in Washington, D.C. with my husband and son. When I'm not working, I’m refining my capsule wardrobe or challenging myself with a barre workout—I’ve completed nearly 1,500 barre classes at studios in D.C., 13 states, and virtually.

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Photo by Rosa Carrasco.