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.

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Careers
Moving towards fairer academic rewards
2020-01-10T10:03:00
New incentive systems take into account more than just a researcher’s publication history
Feature
Can chemists crack our cells’ sugar code?
2020-01-02T09:37:00
Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to understand the sweet mystery of the glycome
Business
From philanthropy to sustainability
2019-11-20T14:27:00
Corporate Social Responsibility in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries is changing
Feature
Borrowing scientific theories
2019-11-18T10:09:00
Can re-purposed science help us understand more than the physical world? Rachel Brazil talks to the scientists trying to play swap
Careers
Developing colour-changing technologies
2019-11-14T10:00:00
Lauren Bowker and Louise Anderson of The Unseen explain how they’re fusing materials chemistry and art
Feature
Chemical clocks for archaeological artefacts
2019-08-05T09:57:00
Radiocarbon dating is a standard technique, but what if your artefacts are inorganic? Rachel Brazil finds out how to accurately age pottery and even metals
Careers
Chemistry in times of political crisis
2019-07-11T10:08:00
The scientists keeping the fume hoods going
Feature
Superhydrophobic materials from nature
2019-04-15T09:43:00
Chemists who want to make materials that repel water but do not contain fluorocarbons are taking their inspiration from nature, Rachel Brazil finds
Careers
Are chemical engineering and biochemistry their own disciplines?
2019-03-21T09:30:00
Exploring the edges of the chemical science family
Careers
Taking chemistry to court
2019-02-12T14:30:00
An expert witness has to explain science with lives on the line
Feature
Science in microgravity
2018-12-17T10:04:00
How does gravity affect chemistry and biology? More than you might think – and you don’t have to visit space to find out, as Rachel Brazil discovers
Feature
Science, suffrage and misogyny
2018-12-10T09:32:00
100 years after women could first vote in UK general elections, Rachel Brazil looks back at their fight for professional equality in chemistry
Careers
The unsung heroes of the lab
2018-11-27T09:30:00
Why technicians need more recognition for their essential role in science
Careers
How to be a creative scientist
2018-10-30T14:30:00
Five tips to boost your blue-sky thinking
Feature
Why are there 20 amino acids?
2018-09-17T09:34:00
Rachel Brazil tries to untangle the alphabet soup of life
Careers
The art of crafting conferences
2018-07-24T14:30:00
The benefits and challenges of three approaches to scientific meetings
Opinion
How to pass your PhD viva
2018-07-17T15:00:00
Five tips to a less painful thesis defence
Feature
The nanocoatings holding back corrosion
2018-06-29T11:56:00
Corrosion is an age-old problem, but some of the latest solutions are distinctly 21st century. Rachel Brazil reports
Careers
How to form a research collaboration
2018-05-30T10:00:00
Five tips for success when partnering up in the name of science
Careers
How to get your research published
2018-05-14T09:00:00
Writing your first paper can be daunting: here are five top tips