Clayton Aldern - Journalist Profile | Connect with top journalists

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Biography

Clayton Aldern is a writer and data scientist interested in science and society. Based in the Pacific Northwest, he is the author of THE WEIGHT OF NATURE, a nonfiction book about the effects of climate change and environmental degradation on neurochemistry, behavior, decision-making, and mental and emotional health. His writing has been published by The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Economist, Aeon, Scientific American, Logic, Grist, Sierra Magazine, Geographical, Crosscut, UN Dispatch, and others. His reporting and data visualization have been syndicated or otherwise republished by The New Republic, Mother Jones, Vox, Newsweek, Salon, Canada's National Observer, The Texas Observer, Moyers & Company, Yes! Magazine, AlterNet, Truthout, Fusion, CityLab, Business Insider, and elsewhere. Previously, Clayton has worked in computational neuroscience, environmental journalism, and homelessness policy. Most recently, he led the data analysis and program evaluation team for homelessness programs at Pierce County, Washington. These days, he's building out a data-journalism unit at the national environmental magazine Grist. He also directs a data-science and machine-learning consultancy, serves as a research affiliate of the University of Washington's Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, and is a co-founding partner of the standards lab Standards International. He holds a master's in neuroscience and a master's in public policy from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He is a Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, a Salzburg Global Fellow, a Seattle CityArtist, and a Climate Reality Leader, among other honors. He has contributed to reporting teams that have won various awards, including a national Edward R. Murrow Award, multiple Online Journalism Awards, multiple Sigma Awards, and the Breaking Barriers Award from the Institute for Nonprofit News. He conducted his undergraduate work in neuroscience at Brown University. He is originally from Minnesota. You can get in touch via Bluesky @compatibilism.bsky.social.

Content

Total articles 317

• Available on paid plans

  Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go?

  By Clayton Aldern

  Feb. 24, 2025

• Available on paid plans

  Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go?

  By Clayton Aldern

  Feb. 24, 2025

• Available on paid plans

  10 States Fund Prisons Using Stolen Indigenous Lands

  By Alleen Brown, Clayton Aldern, Maria Rose

  Feb. 17, 2025

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Company Info

Freelance

Freelancer.com is the largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace in the world, connecting over 81 million employers and freelancers across more than 247 countries. Founded in 2009 and based in Sydney, Australia, the platform allows employers to post jobs while freelancers can bid on these projects. It is publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker ASX:FLN. The platform supports a variety of work categories, including software development, writing, design, and marketing. Freelancer.com also offers contests for creative work, where employers can award prize money to winning entries. Users can choose from different membership plans, including free and paid subscriptions, which provide various benefits. The mobile app enhances project management and communication for users on the go. With a diverse customer base that includes individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises, Freelancer.com plays a significant role in the global online economy.