Richard Harris elected CASW president

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing has elected Richard Harris as its next president. Harris was a science correspondent at NPR for 35 years (1986-2021), and author of the 2017 book Rigor Mortis, which explores rigor and reproducibility in biomedical science.

Harris has been a member of the CASW board since 2012, including serving as treasurer from 2016 to 2023. The board elected Harris as president at its annual meeting on April 26, 2025.

“These are tough times for both science and journalism in the United States,” Harris says. “I’m pleased to be taking up a role that will help CASW continue our mission to increase the quality and quantity of science writing, so the public can more easily make informed decisions.”

Harris succeeds Robin Lloyd, who was elected president in 2021. Lloyd will remain on the board as a member.

“CASW and science writing have grown ever-more agile and resilient in meeting contemporary challenges,” Lloyd says. “The CASW board and I are more than confident that Richard’s breadth of experience, collegiality, and steady leadership will serve us well in the years to come.”

Lloyd led CASW through a global pandemic, which posed unprecedented challenges to science writers and CASW programs. She also spearheaded CASW’s Science Journalism Initiative, a suite of programs aimed at boosting the quality, diversity, and sustainability of science journalism. Under Lloyd’s leadership, CASW created the Sharon Begley Science Reporting Award and the CASW Connector, expanded the Taylor/Blakeslee Fellowships program, produced topical workshops and a data reporting mini-course, and collaborated with the Society of Environmental Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism to fund and launch the National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships.

In 1986, Harris left the San Francisco Examiner to join NPR as a science correspondent. He covered the 2010 BP oil spill, the tobacco industry, climate change, the repair of the Hubble space telescope, threats to biomedical funding, and many other topics. His awards include three AAAS Science Journalism Awards and the 2013 American Geophysical Union Presidential Citation for Science and Society. Rigor Mortis was a finalist for the 2018 National Academies’ science writing book award. He also shared a 1995 Peabody Award for his reporting on the tobacco industry.

He was president of the National Association of Science Writers from 1996 to 1998; he co-founded the DC Science Writers Association in 1987, and he served as president of the Northern California Science Writers Association before that.

Other board news

After eight years on the board, Deborah Blum is stepping down. Blum recently retired from her position as director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. The board will nominate a new member later this year.

Vice President Christie Aschwanden, Secretary Betsy Mason, and Treasurer Ashley Smart were reelected to their positions.