Szymanski is an Associate Professor of science rhetoric in the Department of English and serves as affiliate faculty in the Cell and Molecular Biology program. As the first humanities faculty member of the University-wide Microbiome Network, her work is focused on how language shapes scientific practice and human-microbe relationships.

Currently leading an NSF CAREER project called “microbiomish,” she examines how metaphors influence microbiome research. Additionally, Szymanski is involved in projects reimagining responsible research in synthetic genomics, metaphor use in RNA engineering and microorganisms’ roles in synthetic biology.

She holds an M.S. in microbiology from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in rhetoric and composition from Washington State University and a Ph.D. in science communication from the University of Otago. Before joining CSU, Szymanski was a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, working with the synthetic yeast project.