For years I lived parallel lives as a scientist and artist, until deciding to combine them into a career as a scientific illustrator!

In a former life, I pursued a degree in product design, but still felt my curiosity for the natural world needed satiating. So, I returned to school to study molecular biology with an interest in sustainable biotechnologies.

I spent two years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado, where I engineered bacteria to eat PET plastic. Here I also rediscovered my love of design through helping colleagues with research figures.

While in a Ph.D. program for biochemistry, I became enamored with learning how to 3D render proteins and design journal covers. In 2021 I founded Scivetica, and in 2022 I graduated with my M.Sc. in Biochemistry to pursue scientific illustration full time.

I currently live in Portland, Maine with my partner and deaf dog. I’m an avid iNaturalist user, a vocal environmentalist, and love to explore the woods foraging for edible plants and fungi.

-Rita Clare