The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT has named Usha Lee McFarling as its new director, beginning this August. A celebrated science journalist and former KSJ fellow, McFarling will step into a leadership role at one of the world’s most prestigious journalism fellowships for mid-career reporters.
McFarling will oversee the ten-month fellowship, which brings accomplished science journalists from across the globe to Boston for academic enrichment and professional growth at MIT, Harvard, and other renowned institutions in the area.
Speaking on her new role, McFarling said, “I’m honored to guide KSJ during a period where the integrity of science journalism is more critical than ever. In the face of mounting political and financial threats to journalism, and a surge in science-related misinformation, I hope to steer the program toward stronger support for those committed to truth and public understanding.”
McFarling’s career spans major publications, including STAT News, the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Knight Ridder, and the San Antonio Light. A KSJ fellow in 1992-93, she holds a biology degree from Brown University and a master’s in biological psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her reporting has earned numerous accolades. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation in 2007 spotlighted the decline of the world’s oceans. More recently, her impactful reporting on health disparities at STAT earned her the Edward R. Murrow Award, along with accolades from the Asian American Journalists Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists. In 2024, she also received the Victor Cohn Prize for medical science journalism and the Bernard Lo Award in bioethics.
She will follow Deborah Blum, who led KSJ for a decade. Blum praised her successor, saying, “Usha brings extraordinary talent and vision. I’m confident the program will flourish under her guidance.”
Under McFarling’s leadership, the Knight Science Journalism Program is set to uphold its commitment to advancing global excellence in science reporting.
