Julia Zichello is an evolutionary biologist, writer, and lecturer in New York City. She blends science and storytelling to illuminate connections with the natural world, and to make science more human.
Her essays have appeared in the NYTimes, Scientific American, and Connecticut Audubon. She also sometimes writes for the West Side Rag, a hyper-local NYC news blog, where she connects everyday urban life to broader ideas in biology and ecology.
Julia recently wrote a book for Columbia University Press, based on her scientific research on starlings. Her book weaves together evolutionary biology, urban ecology, and the practice of science, with a storytelling voice—coming in 2026!
Julia holds a Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center and a B.F.A. in Communications Design from Pratt Institute. She is a Lecturer at Hunter College, CUNY, and a Research Associate in the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History.
She has eight years of experience in museum education at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), where she directed the Human Origins Educational Lab. In this role, she engaged with thousands of museum visitors and school groups about human evolution, genetics, and primate biology.
Also at AMNH, she designed and facilitated adult courses and public programs about the brain and co-developed educational content for the museum’s website and exhibits, integrating visual storytelling and scientific expertise to make complex concepts more accessible.
Her scientific research examines how population history has shaped genetic diversity and anatomical variation in living and extinct species, with publications in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Evolutionary Anthropology, and Scientific Reports.