معرفی
Erika Szymanski is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Colorado State University (CSU), with a joint appointment in the Microbiome Initiative. She also serves as Graduate Coordinator for the English Department, Program Director for the MA in Writing, Rhetoric, and Social Change, and Affiliate Faculty in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program. Her work bridges rhetoric, science communication, and STS, focusing on how discourse shapes scientific practices and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Educated in science communication (PhD, University of Otago), microbiology (MS, University of Rochester), and rhetoric (MA, Washington State University), Szymanski’s research explores metaphors in microbiome science, synthetic biology ethics, and multispecies rhetorics. Notable projects include the NSF CAREER-funded microbiomish initiative and the UKRI-NSF collaborative Future Organisms project examining responsible innovation in synthetic genomics.
Her publications span journals like Science Communication, Environmental Humanities, and Nature Communications. She has been recognized for her popular science writing on wine science, blending technical rigor with accessible storytelling. Current efforts emphasize rethinking metaphors in genetic engineering and fostering ethical frameworks for human-microbe collaborations.
Teaching focuses on science writing, STS, and environmental humanities. She advises graduate students in writing programs and interdisciplinary teams. Recent grants include funding for metaphor analysis in microbiome research and multispecies ethics frameworks.
