Summer Praetorius is a paleoclimatologist focused on abrupt climate transitions in Earth’s past. She has published in leading journals such as Science and Nature, and has received awards for her scientific contributions, which have expanded the understanding of the North Pacific Ocean’s influence on the global climate system. Her work takes her on research expeditions to recover sediment cores from the seafloor, which contain microscopic fossils that aid in reconstructing ancient ocean and climate conditions.
As a writer, she has published essays in magazines such as Nautilus that merge science writing with personal stories to convey Earth science through the lens of human experience. These articles have been selected as a finalist for a Webby Award in best editorial writing and chosen as one of the year’s best reported essays in Longreads.
While at MacDowell, Praetorius worked on a non-fiction book integrating memoir with science writing on the topic of memory loss and tipping points in the Earth system. The book, tentatively titled The Great Forgetting, is expected to be published by Little, Brown in 2027.
