Julia Janicki | Data Journalist, Bloomberg Data Reporter & Data Viz Developer

Julia Janicki

Data Journalist & Interactive Data Viz Developer

I turn data into stories — reporting, analyzing, and building interactive graphics for newsrooms and research organizations, at the intersection of data science, science communication, and visual journalism. Currently a data reporter at Bloomberg.

What I Do

Areas of Focus

From newsroom graphics to conservation science — the threads that run through my work.

Data Visualization & Data Journalism

My primary tool is D3, rounded out with R, Python, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop, and canvas — and, more recently, D3 + Svelte. I've also completed two motion graphics courses at School of Motion and am currently exploring illustration and Blender.

Notable work includes the Reuters Graphics biodiversity series, winner of SND's 44th world's best design in digital and runner-up for the SEJ 22nd Annual Award. I also co-founded The Tardigrade, whose shark story made the IIBA 2019 Shortlist, and, with Daisy Chung, Taiwan Data Stories — winner of the Pudding Cup 2022, a three-time IIBA long-lister, and featured in Andy Kirk's Visualising Data. You can follow my process on GitHub or read this Kontinentalist interview.

Conservation, Biodiversity & Insects

My work is motivated by biodiversity and environmental conservation — from beetle taxonomy (Nemonychidae + Anthribidae, Attelabidae of Wisconsin) to illegal wildlife trade and burned-area mapping for reforestation. In 2019 I received the Cocos Island Conservation Scholarship from Turtle Island Restoration Network to assist a marine science team.

I spent four years at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology on science communication and tools for scientists, including antmaps.org, a coral dispersal network map, and a high sea connectivity tool for marine biologists.

I've also led environmental outreach — a US Department of State grant funded the Educational Artshow Fundraiser series in Okinawa, and I created Parrot Plights: The Pet Trade & Habitat Loss for The Tardigrade. Entomology remains close to where it all began, and a current goal is a series of interactive, visual guides to insects, hosted on The Tardigrade.

Maps & Exploratory Tools

I took the full cartography curriculum at UW-Madison and regularly build static and interactive maps, from exploratory tools like antmaps.org and the illegal otter seizure map — built for scientists, activists, and policymakers alike — to Mapbox maps for China Dialogue, including one on Latin American hydropower.

My second M.S. (Environmental Observation & Informatics, 2019) focused on GIS and remote sensing — classifying palm oil plantations, mapping floods and burned areas, and detecting individual houses and urban growth from satellite imagery.

International Affairs & Policy

I spent a year with UNESCO's Education Policy team as a communication specialist, working on the right to education and climate displacement. That was followed by a consultancy with UNDP/UN Volunteers on stories spotlighting their work.

With UN-OCHA I was a data journalism fellow at the Centre for Humanitarian Data, focused on the humanitarian impact of climate change in the Sahel, and later a consultant producing quantitative analysis and visuals for a climate report.

List of Papers

Genomic signatures indicate biodiversity loss in an endemic island ant fauna C. Liu et al. 2025 · Science
Survey of the Attelabidae of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) J. Janicki & DK Young 2021 · Insecta Mundi
A test of trophic and functional island biogeography theory with the avifauna of a continental archipelago S. Ross et al. 2019 · Journal of Animal Ecology
Global Landscapes: Teaching Globalization through Responsive Mobile Map Design RE Roth et al. 2018 · The Professional Geographer
Nemonychidae and Anthribidae of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) J. Janicki & DK Young 2017 · Insecta Mundi
Visualizing and interacting with large-volume biodiversity data using client–server web mapping applications: The design and implementation of antmaps.org J. Janicki et al. 2016 · Ecological Informatics
Weevil Viewer: An interactive mapping application for geographic and phenological exploration of Wisconsin's primitive weevils J. Janicki et al. 2014 · Journal of Maps

Talks, Workshops & Judging

How to Communicate Data-Driven Insights Visually Harvard Kennedy School · Guest Lecture, Data Visualization and Storytelling Strategies · Apr 2026, Online
Visualizing Complexity Science Workshop 2025 Complexity Science Hub · Talk · Aug 2025, Vienna
Intro to data journalism and ethical considerations in data UW-Madison EOI Program · Talk · Jul 2024, Online
Storytelling in Complex World of Science and Health Cognition · Panel · May 2024, Online
Interactivity in Dataviz Hymaia · Talk · May 2024, Paris
SND 45th Creative Competition Judge · May 2024, Minnesota
Data visualization workshop ICRC Analysis & Evidence Unit · Workshop · May 2024, Geneva
Data visualization workshop ICRC Museum · Workshop · Mar 2024, Geneva
Data 2 Speak Awards Jury · 2023, Online
Data journalism, process, and tools deep-dive UN-SIAP · Talk · Mar 2022, Online
Two heads are better than one: a collaborative data viz journey sparked by Outlier Outlier Conference · Talk · Feb 2022, Online
Intro to data journalism Southern Nazarene University Digital Humanities · Talk · Dec 2021, Online
Open-source tools for creating data viz & maps UN World Data Forum · Talk · Oct 2021, Online
Data journalism fellowship showcase Centre for Humanitarian Data · Talk · Jul 2021, Online

Career

Work Experience

A decade across newsrooms, research institutions, and conservation organizations.

2024 Sept - PRESENT

Bloomberg: Data reporter. London, UK.
2022 September - 2024 August

AFP: Data journalist. Paris, France.
2023 March - PRESENT

Urban Institute: Dataviz Developer (freelance)
2023 February - 2023 May

Startup Genome: Data journalist (freelance)
2022 April - 2023 January

Stamen: Design Technologist (contract)
2021 September - 2022 March

UN-OCHA: Data Analysis & Visualization Consultant
2021 June - August

Centre for Humanitarian Data: Data Journalism Fellow
2020 July - 2022 August

Reuters: Data Journalist (Freelance)
2020 March - PRESENT

Climate Policy Initiative: Data Visualization Designer
2020 February - 2021 June

UNESCO: Communications Specialist. Paris, France.
2020 January - 2021 June

Global Fishing Watch: Graphics Consultant
2020 January - July

United Nations Volunteers: Data Visualization Consultant
2018 June - 2019 August

UW Madison M.S. Environmental Observation and Informatics
2017 July - 2019 May

Environmental Investigation Agency: Data Visualization Consultant
2015 November - April 2017

Legal Atlas: GIS & Mapping Consultant (contract)
2015 January- 2018 May

OIST: Computing Technician. Okinawa, Japan.
May 2014

M.S. Entomology, UW-Madison
Sept 2011- May 2014

UW-Madison: Entomology Teaching Assistant
May 2010

B.S. Conservation Biology, Japanese. UW-Madison
September 2008 - July 2009

Japanese Language Program. Keio University, Tokyo, Japan

JLPT Level 1