Olivia V. Ambrogio

She/Her

I’m queer and I’m a science communicator. //

I got my Ph.D. in biology at Tufts University, where I studied the sex lives of sex-changing marine snails (Crepidula fornicata in particular—yes, real scientific name!). The variety and diversity of sexual/reproductive behaviors in other animals is fascinating, and it can help us question some of our own assumptions about what’s typical/normal/expected. I loved the research and teaching, but I’m also passionate about outreach, so I switched fields and now manage the Sharing Science program at the American Geophysical Union, where I help other scientists share their science and its value with wider audiences. I think it’s critical to support all scientists, but especially those from underrepresented groups, to serve as visible, accessible, and authoritative voices of/for science, so that those within and outside the field see that scientists aren’t all alike—and so that we can build more, and more meaningful, relationships across communities. I also do my best to keep telling people how bizarre and wonderful other organisms are. I’ve done a pretty good job of convincing my partner and am working on inculcating our toddler.