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.

Portfolio

Selected Work

Data journalism, interactive storytelling, maps, and visualization projects — filter by category to explore.

Type
Client
Publications

Selected Reports

Data visualization and analysis contributed to reports for research and policy organizations.

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

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

  • 2022 September - 2024 August

    AFP: Data journalist

  • 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

  • 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