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

Photo of an arm wearing an American flag sleeve holding a hand up against a crowd of skin-toned silhouettes, representing recent restrictions in hiring international research talent on H-1B visas.

H-1B Visa Restrictions Will Hurt America’s Research Potential, Experts Say

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 6 min read

Photograph of different Pokémon cards spread disorderly out over a red and white checked blanket.

Pokémon-Inspired Cards Teach Immunology to Kids

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 2 min read

Conceptual photo of various pharmaceutical products, like a bottle of pills, needle and syringe, and thermometer, on a blue background. At the top of the image is a futuristic looking icon with dialogue boxes and healthcare-related imagery.

New FDA Policies for Faster Drug Reviews Met with Mixed Reactions

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 6 min read

3D illustration of a light blue lipid nanoparticle pressed against a pink cell membrane. At the point where the two meet, 3D renditions of amino acids sit on the membrane. A white strand of RNA floats on the inside of the cell, delivered by the attached lipid nanoparticle. This photo represents how supplementing amino acids alongside lipid nanoparticles increases their delivery of cargo to cells.

Three Amino Acids Improve Lipid Nanoparticle Therapy Delivery to Cells

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 3 min read

Illustration of a human uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and cervix. The exterior of the tissues are a pale salmon color, and the inside of the organs are a darker pink. Near the endometrium on the left of the uterus is a yellow oval, representing an egg or embryo.

Uterine Gene Expression May Hold the Secret to Fertility

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 4 min read

Photograph of Prakash’s low-cost, AI-powered self-driving microscope sitting on a wooden desk beside a laptop opened to show images from a slide that was recently scanned. The microscope looks like a black box with a slot near the top where a movable arm comes out to receive a glass slide. The lens extends from the top of box like a tower. On the right of the microscope, a black device with toggles and a hand held controller sits to allow workers to move the microscope around the slide and control its functions.

A Low-Cost, Self-Driving Microscope Could Speed Up Infection Diagnostics

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 5 min read

Image of a dark red tumor with transparent blood and immune cells passing by. A white cross hair target lies over the tumor, representing immunotherapy selectively attacking the cancerous cells.

Immunity to a Common Virus Could Help Treat Tumors

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 5 min read

Illustration of Molly Edwards standing in front of her phone set up with a ring light. The word “live” is in the top left hand corner and transparent comment boxes are floating in the bottom left hand corner, making it look like it is a social media video. Edwards has a tall, leafy plant behind her and prints of other flowering plants on her walls.

Career Chat: A Science Communicator Uses Video to Bring Research to Life

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 4 min read

Illustration of Masudur Rahman (dark hair, center) sitting at a desk holding a folder. On the left is an attorney in a blue suit with a laptop open to a page with a patent document. On the right sits a researcher in a pink top and purple pants. In front of Rahman is a nameplate that reads “Patent Examiner.”

Career Chat: A Researcher Who Traded Experiments for Patent Evaluations

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 2 min read

Photograph of a white puzzle in the shape of a brain on a yellow background. One puzzle piece from the center of the brain is missing. This photo represents a word losing its meaning in a phenomenon called semantic satiation.

Why Does Repeating a Word Make It Lose Its Meaning?

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 3 min read

Illustration of two doors on a blue background. A person in a suit and holding a briefcase is walking away from the viewer out the door on the left, while a person holding a box with belongings in it is entering on the right. The image represents the reductions in force at NIOSH and their subsequent reversal.

NIOSH RIF Reversal Is a Public Health Win, but Not Without Challenges

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 6 min read

Conceptual illustration showing a cartoon scale on a teal background. On the left side sits a microscope and bottle of medicine along with icons of DNA and a chemical molecule. On the right, weighing down the scale, is an icon of the globe and silhouettes of people. The image represents the balance of bioethics.

Bioethicist Alta Charo Addresses the Importance of Ethics in Research and Therapies

By Shelby Bradford, PhD | | 2 min read

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August 2026 Digest cover

August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

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Research Resources

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Videos

Infographics

eBooks

Improving rAAV Production for Viral Vector Manufacturing

Improving rAAV Production for Viral Vector Manufacturing

Explore strategies for improving recombinant adeno-associated virus production in transient HEK293 suspension cultures while maintaining vector quality and supporting scalable viral vector manufacturing.

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Discover how tissue-resident memory T cells develop within the respiratory tract and how these findings are advancing respiratory virus immunity, vaccine research, and high-throughput immune profiling.

Scientist holding a clear 384-well PCR microplate in a laboratory

What Dictates PCR Success Before Amplification Begins?

Bench architecture, primer design, and liquid handling set an assay's limit as throughput climbs.

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Explore emerging mechanisms of immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and how combination immunotherapy strategies may improve antitumor immune responses and patient-specific treatment approaches.

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A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

Resipher measures cellular respiration (OCR) continuously in standard 96-well plates inside your incubator, for days to weeks. No media swaps, dyes, or transfers. A live-cell functional readout for drug safety, metabolism, and mitochondrial health.