Emily writes frequently about autism and related issues, and her work has appeared in print or online at Discover, New York Times, Slate, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and others. Emily has a B.A. in English with minors in German and History and a Ph.D. in biological sciences, both from The University of Texas at Austin. She also completed postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Francisco and has taught graduate and undergraduate biology for many years.
Emily Willingham
Science writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
The legacy of Steve Silberman and his book, ‘NeuroTribes’
The writer’s empathic storytelling changed how society—and researchers—view autistic people.
The legacy of Steve Silberman and his book, ‘NeuroTribes’
By
Emily Willingham
26 September 2024 | 8 min read
Spotted around the web: Week of 29 October 2018
Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 29 October.
Spotted around the web: Week of 29 October 2018
By
Emily Willingham
2 November 2018 | 5 min read
Book Review: A mother finds reward in risk
In “The Boy Who Loved Too Much,” a woman tries to cocoon her son, who has Williams syndrome, from life’s insults but later realizes her protective instincts carry dangers of their own.
Book Review: A mother finds reward in risk
By
Emily Willingham
30 October 2018 | 5 min read
Spotted around the web: Week of 22 October 2018
Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 22 October.
Spotted around the web: Week of 22 October 2018
By
Emily Willingham
26 October 2018 | 4 min read
Spotted around the web: Week of 15 October 2018
Here is a roundup of news and research for the week of 15 October.
Spotted around the web: Week of 15 October 2018
By
Emily Willingham
19 October 2018 | 4 min read
Explore more from The Transmitter
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Learning why spiny mice play well with others
Aubrey Kelly studies the gregarious mammal to explore how the brain controls complex social behaviors “akin to friendship.”
By
Hannah Thomasy
2 June 2026 | 5 min read
Autism-linked genes expressed in thalamus make an impact, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 1 June.
Autism-linked genes expressed in thalamus make an impact, and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 1 June.
By
Jill Adams
2 June 2026 | 2 min read
Eighteen teams analyzed the same neurophysiology dataset—and got wildly different answers
The “Brainhack” hackathon revealed that disagreement in neuroscience runs deeper than most researchers suspect—even in electrophysiology, a field that prides itself on hard data.
Eighteen teams analyzed the same neurophysiology dataset—and got wildly different answers
The “Brainhack” hackathon revealed that disagreement in neuroscience runs deeper than most researchers suspect—even in electrophysiology, a field that prides itself on hard data.
By
Gaëlle Chapuis, Mattia Chini
1 June 2026 | 7 min read