Shelby Bradford, PhD

Shelby Bradford, PhD

Assistant editor at The Scientist

Shelby is an Associate Editor at The Scientist. She earned her PhD in immunology and microbial pathogenesis from West Virginia University, where she studied neonatal responses to vaccination. She completed an AAAS Mass Media Fellowship at StateImpact Pennsylvania, and her writing has also appeared in Massive Science. Shelby participated in the 2023 flagship ComSciCon and volunteered with science outreach programs and Carnegie Science Center during graduate school. 

Articles by Shelby Bradford, PhD

Photograph of fermenters in a biorefinery in Brazil that produce bioethanol.

Not All Bacteria are Bad in Biofuel Production

Illustration of a blue piece of DNA with a red segment in its middle on a purple background. Blue and red segments that have been cut out surround the larger strand.

Splicing Fungal Genes Help Cells Change Shape

TK

The Regulation of the lac Operon

Digitized outline of a person surrounded by binary inputs with a DNA strand running down the center of the image.

Pioneering the Aging Frontier with AI Models

3D illustration of RNA polymerase (blue, middle) transcribing a segment of DNA (purple) into an RNA chain (red, extending to top).

The lac Operon: A Lesson in Simple Gene Regulation

Illustration of Carlo Quintanilla, a health science policy analyst at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, at his desk creating a report (right monitor) that summarizes the impact of policies based on data about them that he has researched (left monitor).

What Does a Career in Science Policy Entail?

3D cartoon of a blue and green prokaryote on a teal background. Part of the cell is cutaway to reveal its circular chromosome.

A Hunt for Clues to the Origins of the Eukaryotic Immune System

A panel of six screenshots from the computer animated game Microscopya, developed by Beata Science Art.

Playing Games to Learn Cell Biology

A photograph of a man sleeping on a couch next to a plate with a poultry leg on it.

Why Does Thanksgiving Dinner Make Some People Sleepy?

A pink and yellow protein held together by a gray circle pull a piece of blue DNA into a loop.

Combining Bacterial Systems Offers a New Approach to Gene Regulation

Nathalie Fuentes, a senior scientist at AstraZeneca, is shown completing two of her roles: on the left, she prepares regulatory paperwork for a new drug, while on the right, she documents information from stability testing a new drug.

The Secrets of Securing a Senior Scientist Role in an Industry

Illustration of four speakers on a panel facing an audience with a blue background behind them.

Spotlighting the Science in Sci-Fi

The Scientist October Digest cover
October 2026

Antarctica’s Blood Falls Teems With Mysterious Microbial Life

Miles away from the closest ocean, marine microbes thrive in the red ice and mud around Blood Falls, offering clues to microbial adaptation and past climate events.

View this Issue

Research Resources

Podcasts

Webinars

Videos

Infographics

eBooks

Find better biologics faster with Stunner and the AI Developability Workcell

Find better biologics faster with Stunner and the AI Developability Workcell

Unchained Labs
An image of microcentrifuge tubes arranged within colorful laboratory racks.

Choose clarity. Choose speed. Choose MyMass™

Refeyn
Characterizing LNP Heterogeneity With Super-Resolution Imaging

Characterizing LNP Heterogeneity With Super-Resolution Imaging

Oni
Conceptual multicolored image of DNA helices.

Exploring the Most Impactful CRISPR Stories

Promega

Products

Product News

A monoclonal antibody surrounded by immune cells and red blood cells

CellRaft AIR: Find the Right Antibody-Producing Cells Faster

Cell Microsystems
Maxwell® Rapid ccfDNA Kit

Maxwell® Rapid ccfDNA Kit: Automated Purification of ccfDNA in Under 30 Minutes

Promega
Leica Biosystems, Tempus, and Paige logos side by side, marking the addition of Paige digital pathology AI tools to the Aperio AI Store.

Oncology Researchers Gain AI Cancer Tools in One Platform

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Logo

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Launches Vi-CELL BLU 2.0 Software to Advance Data Integrity and GMP Readiness in Cell Analysis