Rachel Jurd is a freelance science writer and editor. Prior to becoming a freelancer, she served as the editor of SFARI.org, where she contributed to the communication of SFARI’s scientific priorities, research portfolio and resources for scientists. She has also worked at Cell Press as the editor of Trends in Neurosciences, where she commissioned review articles across the field of neuroscience, managed manuscript peer review and oversaw editorial decisions. In addition, she was involved in communicating science to researchers and to the public through editorials, interviews of neuroscientists for podcasts and Q&A articles, social media announcements and web content.

Jurd has an undergraduate degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from the Australian National University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Zurich. She did postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University. Her research focused on molecular genetics and cellular neurobiology, especially as it relates to mechanisms underlying inhibitory neurotransmission and its dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders.