Laura Helmuth is the editor in chief of Scientific American. She earned a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley, and a graduate certificate in Science Communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Laura has served as the health, science, and environment editor for The Washington Post; director of digital news for National Geographic Partners; science and health editor for Slate; science editor for Smithsonian Magazine; and editor for Science. She is currently on the advisory boards for Spectrum, an autism news website, and SciLine, an organization that helps journalists find the best scientific sources. She also serves on the board of directors for High Country News, a magazine that covers the American West. She is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication and was previously president of the National Association of Science Writers.