Background
I currently split my time between freelance illustration/ exhibit design and as art director for Cell Press. My interests include ornithology, astronomy, archaeology, paleontology, and inclusive design.
I am an avid naturalist, birder, and citizen scientist. I participate in numerous conservation initiatives, including the RI Audubon Nocturnal Bird Survey, Xerces Society Monarch Count, the California Coastal National Monument Black Oystercatcher Project, FrogWatch USA, CT Eagle Watch, and the Audubon Backyard Bird Count.
Education
Graduate—Science Illustration
California State University Monterey Bay 2017
Undergrad—Art Education/Illustration
(Additional coursework in astronomy/earth sciences)
Central Connecticut State University 2009
Certificates—Early Vertebrate Evolution, Dinosaur Paleobiology, Marine Reptile Paleobiology.
Coursera
Awards
1st Place, Professional Fossil Drawing, 5th International Palaeontological Congress (IPC5, 2018)
Gallery Shows
Illustrating Nature, 2017, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Connecticut GNSI Annual Exhibit, 2015, Yale-Peabody Museum of Natural History
Speaking Engagements & Lectures
Inclusive language in scientific publishing: Visual communication (organizer/moderator), Cell Press, 2023
Design and Illustration in Science Communication (speaker), ACCESSpaleo, 2023
Making Monsters: Careers in Science Illustration (panelist), Discovery Day Online, 2021
Writing
Szewczak, Lara, and Phillip Krzeminski. “Graphical Abstracts – Sharing Your Science through Good Visual Design.” BSCB Magazine, 3 Mar. 2023, pp. 17–19.
Consulting
Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State Univ.
Designing protocols and workflows for using Adobe Photoshop to process specimen photos for digital archiving and research (2019).
Current Position
Cell Press (Illustration, graphic design, art direction, management)
Illustration & Design Program Manager 2023-present
Senior Scientific Illustrator 2020-2023
Selected Clients & Projects
Museum of the Earth (Exhibit design, graphic design, illustration)
Six-Legged Science: Unlocking the Secrets of the Insect World 2022
Bees! Diversity, Evolution, and Conservation 2019
Secrets of the Skull: From Titanoboa to Tuatara 2018
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (Animation/motion graphics)
History of Mid-Water Technology animated short 2019
AUV Inner Workings animated infographic 2017
Yale-Peabody Museum of Natural History (Exhibit design and fabrication)
North American Dioramas 2017-2018
Great Hall of Birds 2015-2016
Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Illustration, graphic design, merchandise design)
Bartel’s resident illustrator 2018
Living Bird Magazine 2018
Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology (Exhibit design, illustration, animation/motion graphics, education/outreach)
The Science of ‘Star Wars’ pop-up museum (contributing illustrator), 2019
Resident Illustrator 2017
Selected Illustrations & Publications
Cell, Volume 181, Issue 1, Apr 02, 2020 - Present (Figure illustrations).
Chem, Volume 7, Issue 11, Nov 11, 2021 (Cover illustration)
https://www.cell.com/chem/issue?pii=S2451-9294(20)X0012-X
Joule, Volume 5, Issue 10, Oct 20, 2021 (Cover illustration)
https://www.cell.com/joule/issue?pii=S2542-4351(20)X0011-0
Trends in Genetics, Volume 37, Issue 1, Jan 01, 2021 (Cover illustration)
https://www.cell.com/trends/genetics/issue?pii=S0168-9525(20)X0002-3
Trends in Cancer, Volume 6, Issue 9, Sep 01, 2020 (Cover illustration)
https://www.cell.com/trends/cancer/issue?pii=S2405-8033(19)X0010-2
Developmental Cell, Volume 54, Issue 2, Jul 20, 2020 (Cover illustration)
https://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/issue?pii=S1534-5807(19)X0015-5
Field, D.J., Benito, J., Chen, A. et al. Late Cretaceous neornithine from Europe illuminates the origins of crown birds. Nature 579, 397–401 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2096-0
Mipounga, HK, Cutler, J, Mve Beh, JH, Adam, B, Sidlauskas, BL. Enteromius pinnimaculatus sp. nov. (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from southern Gabon. J Fish Biol. 2019; 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13995
Farke, A., & Yip, E. (2019). A juvenile cf. Edmontosaurus annectens (Ornithischia, Hadrosauridae) femur documents a poorly represented growth stage for this taxon. Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology, 7. https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29347
Field, D. (2018). Early Evolution of Modern Birds Structured by Global Forest Collapse at the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction. Current Biology, 28(11) 1825 - 1831.e2. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30534-7
Axelson, G. (2018, Summer). What Does A Dawn Chorus Of Bird Song “Look” Like? Living Bird, 37(3), 7.
Haigh, A. (2018, Summer). The People Behind The Birds Named For People: Georg Wilhelm Steller. Living Bird, 37(3), 8–9.
Gilman, S. (2018, June). Who Lives, And Who Dies: Is Conservation “Triage” A Good Idea, Or A Dangerous One? Living Bird, 37(3), 52–59.
Axelson, G. (2018, Spring). The Araripe Manakin, Keeper Of The Spring Waters. Living Bird, 37(2).
Weidensaul, S. (2018, Spring). Old-Growth Is Great, But Here’s Why We Need New-Growth Forests, Too. Living Bird, 37(2).
Rodewald, A., Rosenberg, K., Ditner, J., & Krzeminski, P. (2018, Spring). Bottlenecks, Refueling Stations, And Fire Escapes: 3 Types Of Stopover Sites Migrants Really Need. Living Bird, 37(2).