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Penny Sarchet

Managing Editor

Bio

Penny Sarchet is New Scientist's Managing Editor and hosts the New Scientist Weekly podcast with Rowan Hooper. She leads New Scientist's written journalism, overseeing the news, features and culture & comment teams, and developing the title's content strategy.

She holds a degree in biological sciences and a doctorate in plant genetics and development, both from the University of Oxford. She was previously a reporter at Research Fortnight and Research Europe, and her work has also been published by The Guardian, The Observer, BBC Science Focus, The Washington Post, Slate, The Sunday Telegraph and Times Higher Education.

She joined New Scientist in 2014 as a reporter specialising in the life sciences, biology, and biomedicine, with a particular interest in evolution and genetics. As News Editor, she ran New Scientist’s international news team from 2018 to 2022. She has written about everything from the origins of life and the causes of allergies to the science of gardening and the evolution of fairy tales.

Outside of New Scientist, she is a lifelong birdwatcher and co-hosts the podcast Bird Curious. She regularly speaks about all aspects of science on radio, podcasts and on stage.