Moheb Costandi
Moheb Costandi, MSc, is a neuroscientist turned freelance science writer. His blog, Neurophilosophy, gained traction while he was a graduate student and became hosted by The Guardian in 2011. He has since written news and feature articles for publications including Nature, Science, Scientific American, and more. Moheb has also published two books – 50 Human Brain Ideas You Really Need to Know (Quercus, 2013) and Neuroplasticity (MIT Press, 2016) – and is currently working on his third.
Can you describe your academic and professional background?
I have a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience (University College London, 1998) and a MSc in Neuroscience (UCL, 2009). I also spent two years doing a PhD in developmental neurobiology at King's College London, and trained and worked briefly as a science teacher – but not in that order!
How did you begin your career in freelance writing? What was the initial process of getting your writing published in newspapers and books?
My original goal was to work as a scientist, so after graduating in 1998 I went straight onto the PhD, but left the lab two years later without completing my thesis. Afterwards I spent a few years doing various jobs – bar work, construction, security – before applying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. After a year of training, I got a job teaching science to 11-16 year-olds at a school in south London, but quickly realised that teaching wasn't for me, and went back to working as a security guard.
I was doing 12-hour shifts, sitting at a desk at the entrance to an office block. I did a lot of reading, and then one day in early 2006, I started writing a blog. The following year, I started studying part-time for the Masters, while continuing to work as a security guard. The idea was to start another PhD and stay in academia. But throughout the MSc, my blog continued to grow, and I started getting paid writing work. Towards the end, I was approached by a literary agent, and we discussed several book ideas, so I decided to pursue the writing instead of carrying on doing research. I completed the MSc, and went back to working full-time as a security guard, while also writing as much as I could. Several years later, I was earning enough from writing to be able to quit the security work and work as a full-time freelancer. So my path into writing was unusual, and my career began inadvertently. It came about because of the blog, but I didn't start the blog thinking it would lead to a career.
Can you tell us about your current responsibilities? What is a typical day or week like?
At the moment I'm finishing off my third book, so I spend most days sitting at my computer working on that. It's about bodily awareness and self-consciousness, and I'm writing it for the MIT Press. Otherwise, I spend a lot of time looking for interesting news stories and feature articles, and pitching story ideas to editors. This part of the process takes up about one third of my work time. Writing is the easy part, and that typically involves interviewing people over the phone and doing a bit of background reading.
What do you enjoy about your current job?
I've always loved learning, and every time I write something, I learn something new. I also love travelling, and my job has given me many opportunities to do that, too. Over the years I've attended dozens of conferences in Europe and America, and I've been invited to speak at events all over the world. I've also travelled widely on various assignments – including to Japan and Greenland!
What are some of the challenging aspects of your industry?
Being a freelancer can be difficult because the income is not guaranteed. Whereas a staff writer is paid regularly by their employer, a freelancer typically has multiple revenue streams from various clients. Getting paid therefore depends on spending large amounts of time finding interesting stories to write about, and pitching them to editors at different publications. That involves figuring out the kind of stories that each publication goes for, and building working relationships with editors. Editors often decline pitches, so this requires a thick skin. It's a very competitive market, so it can be difficult for a new writer to get off the ground, but perseverance usually pays off.
Do you have any professional plans for the future?
I don't have any concrete plans, but I would like to continue writing books.
What activities, internships, or organizations would you recommend someone get involved with to help them break into science writing?
There are some excellent postgraduate science writing programs – the one at UC Santa Cruz immediately comes to mind. These typically propel their students into the profession by putting them on to an internship after the course of study. This route is quite expensive, however, so it won't be available for everyone. I'd recommend blogging for anyone who wants to break into science writing. It not only helps improve your writing, but also provides a way for others to see your work.
Is it common for people in your field to have a scientific/academic background (i.e. have PhDs)? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages someone with a PhD might experience in your field?
Yes, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary. Earning a PhD in science provides important transferable skills, such as critical thinking and analysing data, but the field of knowledge is likely to be extremely limited. It's more important to be inquisitive and fair. A writer with a scientific background may have an advantage when writing about their specialist subject, but science is extremely broad, and increasingly multidisciplinary, so it's inevitable that one will eventually write about a subject they know little or nothing about. In any case, writing involves having some background knowledge, for context, and interviewing experts. Deep knowledge of a subject may be useful if that's all you're going to write about, but otherwise it's not a huge advantage.
Do you have any final words of advice for those navigating these career questions?
Set up a blog and start writing. Read a lot, and read widely.
