The Fellowships & Writing Center is excited to introduce its cohort of postdoctoral fellows for the 2024–25 academic year. We welcome three new and two returning members to our team of specialists from across the disciplinary and geographical landscapes of the University. All recent PhDs, our writing specialists bring a range of research and professional experiences to the FWC, and they are eager to share their expertise with students. The team is ready to lead writing groups, host workshops, read drafts, hold individual consultations, and critique practice presentations
| Jialu Bao (she/her) received her PhD from the Molecules, Cells, and Organisms program at Harvard University. As a sci-fi author, she believes in the power of storytelling for scientific and academic writing. She is excited to help graduate students communicate their science. |
| Samantha Jones is a dancer, musician, and ethnomusicologist. She earned her PhD from the Department of Music at Harvard University, where she wrote a dissertation on Irish step dancing in the Boston area. Samantha brings a wealth of experience in writing instruction, having worked in several writing centers at the University of Connecticut (go Huskies!) and Boston University. She enjoys helping graduate students build confidence, hone their scholarly voice, and nurture their writing practices. |
| Shannon McCarthy earned her PhD in biological sciences in public health from Harvard University, where she studied the immune microenvironment of early skin cancer. Aside from being a scientist, Shannon received her undergraduate education in English literature. Her diverse education has provided her with a unique perspective of academic writing and made her particularly interested in making scientific writing more approachable. She is looking forward to helping graduate students communicate their work this year. |
| Josephine Reece received her PhD from the Department of English at Harvard University, where she wrote a dissertation on animal anecdotes in the eighteenth century. Having written a large chunk of her dissertation in a writing oasis, Josephine is excited to help graduate students find a structured writing practice that works for them and to provide supportive and thoughtful criticism. Out of the classroom, you can find Josephine knitting, playing video games, and listening to the latest K-pop. |
| Stephen Shennan is a classicist and historian. He earned his PhD in ancient history from Harvard University, with a dissertation examining the development of imperial ideology under Rome’s second emperor. Stephen is enthusiastic about helping researchers and scholars present the exciting work that they do with clarity, focus, and impact, and is ready to think through every stage of the process alongside them. |
