Katie Yurkewicz is the Head of Scientific and Technical Communications at Argonne National Laboratory. Originally trained in nuclear physics, Katie has spent the last two decades working in the field of science communication, based out of two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories and the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. Today, she leads an 18-member team that supports internal and external communications for Argonne’s six science and technology directorates and two national research centers. 

Deeply committed to increasing the quality and effectiveness of science communication to the public and to increasing public support for science, Katie has conducted numerous communication trainings for scientists and graduate students, presented on effective communications at scientific meetings and conferences, and co-led the international Interactions collaboration of particle physics communications professionals for eight years. She has more than decade of experience in strategic communications planning and execution for large science organizations, and has experience across the communications spectrum, from science writing and media relations to public speaking and outreach event organization.

Katie previously served as the Head of Events and Protocol at Argonne, where she led strategy, planning and execution for VIP visits, special events, conferences and tours. Prior to joining Argonne, Katie spent 13 years working in science communications at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where she started as founding editor of an online publication about advanced computing for science, then served for four years as the U.S. communications specialist at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, and eventually spent eight years overseeing Fermilab’s external and internal communications activities as the laboratory’s Head of Communications.

Katie’s interest in science communication and science policy was sparked as a graduate student at Michigan State University’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, where she gave facility tours and participated in outreach activities to elected officials. A science-writing internship at Fermilab hooked her on a career in science communication, after a brief flirtation with a postdoctoral position in medical physics. She holds a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Michigan State, and bachelor’s degrees in physics and dance from Smith College.