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Stephanie M. Lee

Senior Writer

What I Cover

I write about scholars, scholarship, and society. I’m drawn to stories about researchers whose ideas are provoking debate inside and outside their disciplines. I am also interested in understanding how the knowledge-production ecosystem works — or, often, fails to work. That means I investigate issues like retractions, conflicts of interest, and misconduct, with the goal of holding institutions to account. There’s no subject I’m not curious about: My stories have spanned the fields of behavioral science, infectious diseases, food, art history, math education, and misinformation, among others.

My Background

I joined The Chronicle in 2022. I was previously a science and technology reporter at BuzzFeed News, and before that, a health reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. I was a recipient of the 2022 Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting, which honored my investigative reporting about scientific misconduct. My stories have been anthologized in The Best American Food Writing and noted in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. I frequently speak at conferences and in the press about topics like research integrity and scientific reproducibility.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in comparative literature at the University of California at Berkeley, where I got my start in journalism at The Daily Californian. I live in San Francisco.

Connect

I welcome reader feedback and story ideas at stephanie.lee@chronicle.com. For sensitive communications and tips, please don’t hesitate to message me at stephaniemlee@protonmail.com or on Signal at stephaniemlee.07.

I can also be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Threads.

Recent Stories

A 'Painful' Choice
By Stephanie M. Lee May 21, 2025
HIV scientists were given a choice: eliminate a study of transgender youth or lose a shot to recover a larger series of grants. They chose the former.
The Fine Print
By Stephanie M. Lee May 9, 2025
At least two institutions have been directed to comply with the order as a condition of getting NIH funding, marking a new front in the administration’s efforts to reshape the scientific ecosystem.
'A miracle'
By Stephanie M. Lee April 29, 2025
A handful of scientists whose funding was canceled by the Trump administration are now seeing those decisions reversed — and it’s not always clear why.
'I Feel Sick'
By Stephanie M. Lee April 2, 2025
A number of grant proposals have disappeared from scientists’ review pipelines, with little explanation. Applicants are bewildered and frustrated.
Extending a Lifeline
By Stephanie M. Lee March 27, 2025
Scientists have been screaming for a life raft. Some institutions hope internal funds will keep them afloat during the chaos.
'Immediate Cancellation'
The move is an extraordinary escalation of a months-long feud between Republican politicians and the university.
'It hurts my heart'
By Stephanie M. Lee March 5, 2025
At least a half-dozen research grants were terminated last week by the NIH, which said that “programs based on gender identity are often unscientific.”
Blocking Research
By Stephanie M. Lee February 26, 2025
More than half of the NIH grant-review meetings that were supposed to take place this year have been canceled, she says. “Without these meetings happening, nothing can get funded.”
'Arrogant Complacency'
By Stephanie M. Lee February 4, 2025
Charles Piller, author of the new book Doctored, says the scientific community needs “to take a good hard look in the mirror.”
Scholarship & Research
By Stephanie M. Lee January 23, 2025
Trump’s nominees have big plans for remaking the federal health agencies, with consequences for university scientists who receive billions in funding.