Lily Burton Is Pivoting from PhD to Science Journalism. Her Portfolio Took an Hour to Build — and Already Landed Her Work.
Lily Burton spent years in the lab. PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the University of Chicago. Deep research. Big questions. But something was missing. "I really enjoyed thinking…
Lily Burton spent years in the lab. PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the University of Chicago. Deep research. Big questions.
But something was missing.
"I really enjoyed thinking about very deep questions," she says. "But I kind of missed the human element. I would get frustrated — why should a normal, everyday person care about this?"
That question led her toward science writing. And eventually, to a portfolio she built in an hour using our AI website builder.
From lab to byline
To pursue her science writing dream, Lily built up slowly. Volunteer projects. Small bylines. Then, in late 2023, she applied to the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship — mostly as practice.
She got in.
Ten weeks at a public radio station in North Carolina, reporting on science. That was the moment it became real.
"This might actually be something I could do."
The portfolio problem
But to get paid work, she needed a portfolio. A place to show her clips. Proof she could do the job.
She kept putting it off.
I had been dreading making the website — not because it would be so hard, but I just didn't know exactly how to do it.
Then a deadline hit. An internship application. Four hours to finish everything — resume, cover letter, portfolio.
