Dr Vivienne Raper is Science Editor at the Progress Educational Trust (PET) and at its free weekly email news digest, commentary service and website BioNews. Together with her fellow BioNews editors Dr Kirsty Horsey and Chris Chatterton, and PET chair Professor Marcus Pembrey, she runs the BioNews internship scheme which provides practical science writing training and experience for PhD students. She is also a freelance journalist specialising in health and science, and has written for publications including the Financial Times, the Nursing Times, Science, Biologist, Ethical Living, the East London Advertiser, the South London Press, Southwark News, and various other local newspapers and specialist biotechnology and pharmaceutical publications.

Vivienne is also a freelance copywriter, and has written brochure and press pack material for organisations including the UK Government's Department of Health, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Johnson and Johnson, and the Healthcare Commission (now subsumed into the Care Quality Commission). Previously, she worked at the PR agency De Facto Communications, and she interned at the thinktank Newton's Apple. She has a PhD in imaging and informatics from the University of Bristol and a Certificate in Journalism from the National Council for the Training of Journalists. She blogs at Follow That Microbe.