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

Finding the Rett syndrome gene and ways to fix it

Kevin Mitchell talks with Huda Zoghbi about her work identifying the MECP2 gene, its role in the brain and therapies to address its dysfunction.

By Kevin Mitchell
21 September 2026 | 4 min read
Hand holding a vial of microplastics.

Measuring plastic in the brain: Improving, but incomplete

Meanwhile, researchers are publishing papers without “sufficient quality control,” says analytical chemist Dušan Materić.

By Amber Dance
18 September 2026 | 9 min read
Calendar with deadline.

Incredible shrinking grant deadlines at the BRAIN Initiative

“A month is crazy,” says one former recipient, referring to a new funding opportunity’s timeline.

By Brendan Borrell
17 September 2026 | 4 min read