Rachel Brazil
Rachel has been a freelance science writer for almost a decade.
Based in London, she writes for a variety of publications on scientific areas, including chemistry, materials science, biomedical and pharmaceutical science, and science and innovation policy.
Prior to this, she worked in a number of scientific organizations, including the RSC, the Royal Institution and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta). From 2006–2010 she ran Nesta's national researcher development programme, Crucible. Focused on encouraging creativity and stimulating interdisciplinary encounters between early career researchers, Crucible has now been adopted by a number of UK Universities.
Rachel herself has an interdisciplinary academic background, with degrees in chemistry and a PhD in archaeological conservation. She is also a trainer for the British Council’s Researcher Connect programme, teaching in China, Russia and Mexico.
FeatureThe secrets of the sulfur cycle
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur, and this could impact our ability to correctly model the climate. Rachel Brazil talks to the researchers trying to fill in the gaps.
- Feature
How protocells bridge the gap from chemistry to biology
Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to recreate what the first cells were like, or to make their own versions
- Careers
Demonstrating at the Royal Institution
Designing spectacular experiments is just one part of the fun Jemma Naumann has at work
- Research
First firm evidence for ferroelectric ice
Water becomes electrically polarised when sandwiched between graphene sheets
- Feature
The RSC’s climate challenge
The Royal Society of Chemistry aims to use Cop26 as a springboard to a more sustainable future. Rachel Brazil reports
- Careers
The science of team science
Researchers and funders are exploring ways to make large collaborative projects more successful
- Feature
What’s wrong with research culture?
A knotty mess of problems affects people doing academic research in the UK. Rachel Brazil tries to untie the tangle
- News
Explainer: The science of alkyl nitrites aka poppers
From their origins as 19th century angina treatment to becoming an important part of gay subculture, these recreational drugs exist in a legal limbo
- Business
The future of ‘next generation’ DNA sequencing
As it gets cheaper and easier to read genetic code, its applications are expanding rapidly
- Feature
Reaching the molecular limit of magnetic memory
Clever chemistry could help computers cram even more data onto their hard drives. Rachel Brazil reports on single-molecule magnets
- Opinion
Ida Noddack and the trouble with element 43
The German chemist discovered one element and may have been the first to suggest nuclear fission – but her legacy is troubled, as Rachel Brazil discovers
- Careers
The gender pay gap is not going away
Despite a variety of activities in industry and academia, women in chemistry continue to earn less than men
- Feature
Why do people believe conspiracy theories?
Rachel Brazil looks into the dangerous world of chemical conspiracy theories and asks the experts what we can do about it
- Feature
Drugging RNA
Some medicinal chemists have changed their focus from proteins to target RNA, finds Rachel Brazil
- Feature
Marking the Anthropocene
The idea that we’re in a human-influenced geological epoch is gaining traction, but how will future geologists measure it? Rachel Brazil finds out
- Business
Taking plastic out of performance paper coatings
SGMA’s silicate sol-gel is a sustainable alternative for packaging such as coffee cups
- Careers
Studying chemistry in the age of Covid-19
University students across the UK are enjoying a mixture of online and practical learning as departments adjust to new restrictions
- Feature
Chemistry for all?
Rachel Brazil reports on the RSC’s five-year project to see whether students from disadvantaged backgrounds can be encouraged to study chemistry
