51¶¯Âþ

Penny Sarchet is 51¶¯Âþ's Managing Editor and hosts 51¶¯Âþ's The World, The Universe and Us podcast with Rowan Hooper. She leads 51¶¯Âþ's written journalism, overseeing the news, features and culture & comment teams, and developing the title's content strategy.

She holds a degree in biological sciences and a doctorate in plant genetics and development, both from the University of Oxford. She was previously a reporter at Research Fortnight and Research Europe, and her work has also been published by The Guardian, The Observer, BBC Science Focus, The Washington Post, Slate, The Sunday Telegraph and Times Higher Education.

She joined 51¶¯Âþ in 2014 as a reporter specialising in the life sciences, biology, and biomedicine, with a particular interest in evolution and genetics. As News Editor, she ran 51¶¯Âþ’s international news team from 2018 to 2022. She has written about everything from the origins of life and the causes of allergies to the science of gardening and the evolution of fairy tales.

Outside of 51¶¯Âþ, she is a lifelong birdwatcher and co-hosts the podcast . She regularly speaks about all aspects of science on radio, podcasts and on stage.