New Deputy Editor in Science

With the recent changes on the Science desk, we've been left with some enormous pairs of shoes to fill, especially within the ranks of our editors. I'm thrilled to announce that help is on the way: Alexandra Sifferlin, who has been overseeing health and science coverage at Opinion, will be joining us as a deputy editor.

Alexandra began her career as a health reporter at Time magazine, before helping to launch Elemental, the health and science vertical at Medium. She joined The Times in February 2021, at the height of the pandemic, and since then she has grown Opinion's health and science footprint significantly, bringing on three editors.

The result has been a steady heartbeat of science writing that is admirably timely and idea-driven. Their special projects and collaborations have included a recent project on how Americans are experimenting with GLP-1s , an exploration of the research linking vaccines and autism , and close looks at allegations of fraud in scientific research . Her writers have covered emerging developments in disease and treatment, including new understandings of cancer , obesity and inflammation .

On a personal level, I've been bowled over by Alexandra's intellect and energy, as well as by her passion for great science journalism and for bringing complex subjects to readers. And her writers rave about her: Jeneen Interlandi, whom I had the pleasure of working with on stories at the Magazine, says: "Alexandra is quite literally every reporter's dream. She is a nurturing and patient editor and an unfailingly kind colleague and human."

Kathleen Kingsbury had this to say: "Alexandra has approached the health and science beat with the tenacity of a reporter - always looking around the corner, developing new sources and staying deep in the research. Beyond her editorial instincts, she has proven to be a very able manager, and she remains unflappable and calm regardless of the pressure."

Alexandra will join our merry band on Wednesday, May 20.