Michael Roston Joins Express as Deputy Editor

Out of This World: Michael Roston Joins Express as Deputy Editor

We are thrilled to announce that Michael Roston, editor extraordinaire of the moon and the stars, is taking on an exciting new role here on Earth, as a deputy editor on Express. Michael will help steer our breaking news coverage and guide our storytelling ambitions through the use of video, audio and other formats.

Throughout his nearly 16 years at The Times and 11 in Health and Science, Michael has shown a knack for identifying fun and unexpected topics and finding new ways to tell those stories.

In Health and Science, Michael developed an interactive Space and Astronomy Calendar and edited coverage of three major solar eclipses and multiple blood moons and meteor showers. He was a driving force behind live coverage of numerous space launches, including the Artemis II moon mission that captivated readers worldwide. He also edited the Trilobites feature about the latest observations in animal behavior, Earth science, archaeology and other interesting scientific explorations and discoveries (even sharing a headline award for "When an Eel Climbs a Ramp to Eat Squid From a Clamp, That's a Moray ").

While working on the social media team, Michael routinely showcased his sense of humor to readers' delight.

"Michael has been an indispensable leader, a one-man band assigning, coordinating, editing and guiding coverage of some of the most captivating science stories of recent years," said Hilary Stout, who was a deputy on Health and Science. "We will all miss his talents, his creativity, his versatility, his brilliant headlines and his delightful humor. We know he will crush it in his new role."

Kenneth Chang, who covers NASA and the solar system, said that without Michael as his editor, "I'll have to do a better job of tracking all the space social media feeds that he seemingly checks 24/7 to forward some insightful or silly remark, often from someone I had never heard of."

Michael grew up in Chicago and went to the same high school as Michelle Obama and the Wachowski sisters. At the University of Iowa, he was a competitive debater and helped his teammates win the national championship in 2001.

He shoots free throws to relax, and given that he'll be working on a breaking news team, he will have plenty of opportunities to work on his percentages.

Please congratulate him on this new frontier.

- Melissa