Karl Kjer: Carving Out Your Career in Freelance Science Writing

Longtime academic, professor and researcher Karl Kjer has worked in freelance science writing for just over a year. A knowledgeable and respected entomologist and taxonomist, Kjer has turned what is a considerable skillset and base of knowledge into a successful writing and editing career; producing high-quality scholarly work that both informs and engages his clients’ readership on a daily basis.

Diving into the world of freelance science writing, as Karl Kjer knows, isn’t always easy, though there are ways to make carving out your niche a little less challenging.

Build Out a Website

Give potential clients an online destination for examining your credentials and portfolio. This allows clients the opportunity to get to know you a little better, and makes their decision-making process a little easier.

Get to Know Your Clients

Before introducing yourself to a potential client or making a pitch about a potential story idea, be sure to better know the publication, the typical stories/articles it features, and the readership it looks to attract.

Karl Kjer: What is Phylogenetics?

Karl Kjer has been a recognized and respected member of the scientific community for more than 20 years. A noted molecular biologist, entomologist and taxonomist, and former professor at such research institutions as the University of California and Rutgers University, Kjer has contributed much to is respective fields over the years, particularly in regard to the area of Insect Phylogeny.

A major contributor to such research and information collection and analysis projects as the Trichoptera Barcode of Life Database and the 1KITE initiative, Karl Kjer has long worked with colleagues to generate a phylogeny of Trichoptera. This effort is, in large part, what led to the development of the 1KITE initiative, which has provided collaborators the opportunity to study the transcriptomes of more than 1000 insect species across all known insect orders.

As one who has made significant contributions to the field of insect phylogeny, Karl Kjer is well-versed in the importance of phylogenetics as a field of study. An examination of the relationships and evolution of different species and groups of species over time, phylogeny is used to develop, in essence, phylogenetic trees which map out how particular species and orders have evolved throughout history, and to utilize that roadmap to better understand where species, groups and life as a whole may be progressing.

Though it may often be confused with taxonomy, phylogenetics is its own distinct field of study, bot methodologically and logically. 

Karl Kjer, now a scientific consultant and freelance science writer and editor, maintains strong interest in the research of such fields as morphological evolution, entomology and phylogenetics.

Karl Kjer: Tips for Aquarium Beginners

Karl Kjer: Tips for Aquarium Beginners from Karl Kjer

Karl Kjer: Academic Writer

Karl Kjer is an award-winning molecular phylogeneticist who holds a Master of Science and a Ph. D. in Entomology, both from the University of Minnesota.

He is a co-founder of 1KITE, the 1,000 Insect Transcriptome Evolution Project, and he has over 4,700 citations as an author. Karl Kjer presently works as a freelance academic writer for Upwork. 

Karl Kjer: Molecular Taxonomy

Karl Kjer is an award-winning molecular phylogeneticist and taxonomist with decades of experience and an overwhelmingly-positive reputation. He’s a co-founder of the 1,000 Insect Transcriptome Evolution Project and molecular taxonomy is among the many areas that he’s passionate about.

“Molecular taxonomy is still a developing field, and I am working to develop solutions to the limitations of molecular species definitions that will be broadly applicable to other taxa,” wrote Karl Kjer. “Barcodes are increasingly used in molecular taxonomy, and in this context, a barcode refers to a standardized DNA fragment that is used to identify species. For animals, a 658-nucleotide fragment of mitochondrial COI is the most commonly used marker. There has been vigorous, often contentious, debate about the strengths and weaknesses of "barcodes" and the effects these data will have on traditional taxonomic practice. I reject the extremes of both sides of these debates and instead present a constructive, integrative approach to discovering and describing biodiversity, using Trichoptera as a model taxon.

For those who’d like to read more, head to Karl Kjer’s editing page at karlkjer.com, and his "Academia" website to check out some of his most popular, highly-cited works. He also spends time answering questions on Stackexchange.

Source of this article: https://karlkjer.tumblr.com/post/170904942558/karl-kjer-molecular-taxonomy