About me

Find me at:

sofia.lmdo@gmail.com

Sofia Moutinho

I am an award-winning Brazilian journalist covering all subjects related to science, health, and the environment. I am currently a freelance correspondent for Science magazine in Brazil. Before that, I was a reporting fellow at Columbia Journalism Investigations, working on stories related to health and climate change. Our coverage about the health impacts of climate change, under the series Hidden Epidemics, won first place in the 2020 American Association of Health Care Journalists Award in the large-publication category and first place in the investigative journalism category in the Dateline Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists DC.

My bylines have appeared in Science, Nature, The Guardian, Scientific American, NPRMother JonesThe Center for Public Integrity, SciDev, The State and The Herald (McClatchy Papers), The Orlando Sentinel, The Arizona Republic, SciDev, EOS, Folha de São Paulo, Ciência Hoje.

Growing up in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest,  I have been fascinated by science and nature since an early age.  As my father used to say, I was always “smiling questions” as a kid. As a journalist, I have been lucky to have the chance to put my curiosity to good use by going on field trips with researchers worldwide and writing about fascinating and controversial topics in science.

Besides a background in magazine and website writing, I have experience in data journalism, photography, video editing, podcast production, and social media content.

I hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and an M.A. in science journalism from Columbia University, in New York, as a Lemann Fellow.

ExpertiSes

Science, Health, and the Environment

Photography

Investigative and Data Journalism

Video and Graphic Motion

Experiences

Science Magazine, Reporter (freelance correspondent, intern)

2021 – Present

Covers all subjects related to science, writing news articles and features for print and online

PEBMED – Whitebook, Content manager

2019

Managed a team of 30 physicians and journalists producing content for the app Whitebook and the medical news portal PEBMED in Brazil.

Ciencia Hoje magazine, Reporter

2011 – 2015

Covered hard-core sciences, health, and the environment for both print and online. Also wrote for a children’s magazine and produced video content.

Rede Nacional de Ciencia para Educação, communication

2015 – 2021

Writes articles and social media posts about the science of learning for a Brazilian non-profit network of scientists. Produces a monthly podcast called Educação tem Ciencia, connecting teachers and scientists to discuss education.

Columbia Journalism Investigations, Reporter (fellow)

2020

Investigative and data journalist working on stories about health and climate change focusing on minorities.

Onco& magazine, Editor and reporter

2016 – 2019

Wrote and edited news, features, newsletters, and videos about cancer research and new treatments for a magazine aimed at physicians and health care professionals in Brazil.

Museu do Amanhã, Research and content producer (freelancer)

2016

Produced the texts for a permanent exhibition about Science and Culture displayed in this Science Museum in Rio de Janeiro, which has received 5 million visitors so far.

Como será?, content consultant

2014

Proposed pitches and interviewees for this Brazilian TV show focused on the science behind daily life, produced by Ocean Films for the major channel TV Globo

honors and awards

2023 One World Media Awards – Finalist (Longlist)

2021 American Association of Health Care Journalists Award – 2nd place

2021 Science in Society Journalism Award – Finalist

2020 American Association of Health Care Journalists Award – 1st place

2020 Pulitzer Center Post-graduate Reporting Fellowship

2019 World Conference of Science Journalists Travel Fellowship

2012 HSBC Award for Press and Sustainability – Rio+20, runner up

2021 National Press Foundation’s Stokes Award – honorable mention

2019 Morton Mintz Fund Award

2013 AAAS! Eurekalert Fellowship for International Science Reporters

2012 Health Journalism Award – SindhRio – 2nd place

2012 MIT Fellow – Medical Evidence Boot Camp

fellowships and grants

2022 Pulitzer Center Grant, Rainforest Journalism Fund

2022 Logan Science Journalism Program in Environmental Research, Woods Hole Marine Biology Laboratory

2022 EJN Travel Grant to Report from Biodiversity Summits

2021 Louise Behan Reporting Grant, World Federation of Science Journalists

2021-2022 KSJ@MIT Fact-Checking Workshop

2020 Pulitzer Center Post-graduate Reporting Fellowship

2019 Morton Mintz Fund Award, Columbia University

2019 World Conference of Science Journalists Travel Fellowship

2019 Fuse Workshop – AI in Journalism

2013 AAAS! Eurekalert Fellowship for International Science Reporters

2012 MIT Fellow – Medical Evidence Boot Camp

some Events covered

World Biodiversity Forum at Davos

2022

American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH )

2017, 2018

UN Climate Summit

2014

2nd Global Symposium on Health Systems Research

2012

United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development –  Rio+20 

2012

Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting

2011, 2012

American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting (ASCO)

2016, 2017, 2018

9th International Brain ResearchWorld Congress

2015

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting

2013

6th World Science Forum

2013

33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference

2013