Melissa Thomas Baum

Melissa Thomas Baum is the Founder and Owner of Buckyball Design, LLC, established in January 2016, with a diverse client portfolio including AAAS, The Simons Foundation, Scientific American, and Columbia University. Baum has also served as Graphics & Website Manager at Frank Lab, Columbia University, and was previously Web Manager for the Imagine Science Film Festival. With extensive experience in design, art direction, and illustration, Baum worked at Scientific American as Art Director, Designer, and Illustrator from 2005 to 2010, and has held various roles in different organizations including the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and Electronic Publishing Services. Baum's strong educational background includes a B.A. in Molecular & Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, supplemented by studies at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Institute. In 2008, Baum received the AAAS Prize for Excellence in Science Books for contributions to Exploratopia.