Kristel Tjandra, Ph.D.

Kristel Tjandra, PhD, is a scientist-turned-journalist.

Originally from Indonesia, Tjandra has a doctorate in chemistry and a bachelor’s degree in medicinal chemistry from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia. A two-time fellowship awardee and postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, she researched both antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ways to improve the targeting of cancer drugs. Rather than continue on an academic path, and out of a desire to illuminate for people the chemistry of how drugs work on human biology, she went on to earn a scholarship to study science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she got a Master’s degree.

Tjandra specializes in writing about drugs and diseases while occasionally immersing herself in other scientific topics, including the intersection between science and the humanities. Her work has been published in outlets such as Science, Nature, and MIT Technology Review. She was a health intern reporter at KQED Radio, an NPR affiliate in San Francisco, at Live Science, and Drug Discovery News.

In 2022, Kristel received the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Tjandra lives outside the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and new baby.