Shaena Montanari was a reporter for The Transmitter from 2023 to 2025. She was previously an investigative health reporter at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting in Phoenix. Prior to becoming a journalist, Shaena worked as a paleontologist.

Education

  • M.A. in investigative journalism, Arizona State University
  • Ph.D. in comparative biology, Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History
  • B.S. in geological sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Fellowships

  • AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship
  • AAAS Mass Media Fellowship
  • Royal Society Newton International Fellowship

Explore more from The Transmitter

dialogue illustration

How basic neuroscientists can connect with autistic people and their communities

A first-of-its-kind workshop offers a template for autism researchers who want to incorporate community perspectives into their work.

By Juliana Chase, Hannah R. Monday, Lea Witkowsky
14 May 2026 | 6 min read

Long-sought walking circuit found in fruit flies

The neuronal circuit controlling repetitive locomotion patterns in any animal has been a mystery until now.

By Natalia Mesa
13 May 2026 | 0 min watch
Neuroscientist Julieta Sztarker holds an open-air teach-in for the general public in Plaza Italia in Buenos Aires.

Crisis de financiación en Argentina desata nueva ola de protestas

Dos años luego de que colapsara la financiación para investigación del país colapsara, los científicos están manifestando en contra del incumplimiento del gobierno para restaurar becas cortadas previamente y aumentar salarios como lo establece una del 2025.

By Claudia López Lloreda, Natalia Mesa
12 May 2026 | 5 min read