Deborah Blum

Deborah Blum is a Pulitzer-prizewinning American science journalist, columnist, and author of five books, including the New York Times-bestselling The Poisoner’s Handbook, which was named one of the top 100 books of the year by Amazon in 2010. The book was later adapted into a widely-praised PBS documentary film in 2014.

While working as a science writer for the Sacramento Bee, Blum wrote a series of articles, entitled The Monkey Wars, about the tensions between animal rights activists and scientists who use animals in their research. The series won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting.

Her other books include: Sex on the Brain: The biological differences between men and women; Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the science of affection; Ghost Hunters: William James and the search for scientific proof of life after death; and Angel Killer: A True Story of Cannibalism, Crime Fighting, and Insanity in New York City.

She is a former president of the National Association of Science Writers, was a member of the governing board of the World Federation of Science Writers, and currently serves as vice president of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. Blum is co-editor of the book A Field Guide for Science Writers, and in 2015, she was selected as the fourth director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT.