Sibusiso Biyela is a freelance science writer who explains things for a living. As a science communicator he produces science-related content for policymakers, the lay public and various other audiences. As a science writer he reports on breakthrough science happening in South Africa and the rest of the continent. And as a data journalist, he uses data and statistics to visualise and tell stories about news.
The 32-year-old is currently doing freelance work as a data journalist at SABC News as well as for a number of publications including Nature Africa, Brainstorm Magazine and ScienceLink/SciBraai. Sibusiso is also working on two science translation projects, the aim of which is to make scientific discourse accessible in African languages. One is the Masakhane Decolonise Science project, where the team is creating a Google Translate for science.
The other initiative he co-produced is a science podcast in isiZulu. Among the challenges Sibusiso has faced is discovering as an adult that he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Things fell apart after he matriculated and the structures of childhood and school fell away, but he has found ways to deal with having ADHD. Sibusiso is driven to excel by the feeling he has when he masters a new thing.
In the first project I am part of a team of machine learning experts, translators and science communicators to create a Google Translate for Science. In the second project I co-created a science podcast in isiZulu that has seen a lot of interest, including research on its effectiveness.
Carl Sagan. He was the best science communicator the world had ever seen. His books and the media he produced showed me that I can turn my passion for science and knowledge into a career.