Technical Writer Part-Time

Victoria Akins, PhD

Williamsburg, VA ***** 757-***-**** *********@*****.***

EXPERIENCED SENIOR EDITOR

Self-motivated, detail-oriented scientific and medical communication specialist with a passion for serving others. Skilled writer and editor with expertise in copy editing and developmental editing who efficiently and effectively delivers clear, grammatically sound, concise medical and scientific documents suitable for expert and novice readers. Organized and meticulous lifelong learner with exceptional time-management and analytical skills who exceeds expectations and achieves the highest level of professional excellence.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Scientific Editing Developmental Editing Copyediting Proofreading Regulatory Compliance Grant Review 508 Compliance Deadline Management Cross-Functional Collaboration Analytical Skills Attention to Detail TECHNICAL SKILLS

Document Formatting Style Guides (APA, AMA, Chicago Manual) Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint MATLAB ImageJ Adobe Illustrator Adobe Photoshop SharePoint

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Performed comprehensive assessments of over 150 complex scientific articles and clinical documents, recommending improvements focusing on the logic, consistency, and structure of the narrative and the novelty of the findings.

• Line-edited/proofread over 5,000 medical and scientific documents, including presentations, book chapters, technical notes, protocols, and white papers, revising them for grammar, phrasing, clarity, consistency, and syntax. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, Ann Arbor, MI December 2024 – May 2025 Senior Editor II

Line edited and formatted RFPs, IDIQ contracts, scientific reports, and other documents in preparation to submit to government agencies. Ensured documents were compliant with 508 guidelines, aligned with templates, and adhered to style guides.

• Partnered with authors to align documents in terms of scope and specifications, meet tight deadlines, and consistently deliver high-quality work.

• Contributed to company LinkedIn posts to boost company visibility and promote achievements.

• Created submission-ready Word Documents and PDFs with internal hyperlinks and bookmarks. Outlier AI, Oakland, CA August 2024 – December 2024 Writing Evaluator, Expert

Evaluated and refined AI-generated content for accuracy, clarity, and adherence to guidelines. Fact-checked model outputs, created prompts to test model performance, and assessed responses for grammar, tone, and relevance. Justified strengths and weaknesses of model outputs to support ongoing improvement.

Research Square, Durham, NC February 2020 – March 2024 Expert Academic Editor, April 2022 – March 2024

Academic Editor, February 2020 – March 2022

Assessed scientific and clinical papers and advised researchers on improving manuscript structure to ensure guideline compliance and clear emphasis on key outcomes.

Scientific/Clinical Writing, Editing and Evaluation

• Conducted comprehensive analysis of clinical and scientific evidence in over 100 papers being prepared for peer-review to help authors clearly communicate their research motivation, methodology, and key findings.

• Crafted in-depth, detailed developmental feedback for each paper that emphasized the narrative, informational, and focus- related issues within manuscripts.

• Provided individualized, expert advice and suggestions for addressing manuscript issues.

• Ensured clinical documents adhered to regulatory requirements and guidelines.

• Cultivated a report for each manuscript that explains the overarching issues in the paper and summarizes the key issues identified via collaboration with other members of the Scientific Editing team.

• Assisted authors with the structure of their manuscript in addition to Language Editing. Victoria Akins, PhD *********@*****.*** Page 2

Language Editing

• Copy edited and proofread over 3500 medical and scientific documents for grammar, punctuation, and syntax, phrasing, clarity and consistency.

• Worked effectively with custom AI tools.

Grant Review

• Appraised grants submitted to various prestigious organizations, including Roche and Hong Kong University, to determine their innovation, feasibility and scientific merit.

Cactus Communications, Princeton, NJ June 2018 – February 2020 Life Sciences and Medical Editor

Edited and formatted scientific manuscripts in the life sciences and medical fields to ensure clarity, accuracy, and adherence to journal and style guidelines.

• Revised the language and grammar of over 1500 scientific papers in biological and clinical fields to help authors prepare their manuscripts for publication.

• Formatted over 1500 papers with references to ensure they adhered to journal specifications and/or common style formats, such as APA, AMA, and Chicago.

• Successfully interacted with customers and addressed customer questions and requests. RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL WRITING EXPERIENCE

College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA August 2010 – May 2018 Graduate Student (PhD), Systems Neuroscience Lab, January 2012 – May 2018 Investigated the structural and functional relationship of neurons in the respiratory neural circuit, focusing on the PreBötzinger complex, culminating in my dissertation titled “Neuroanatomical and morphological properties of neurons that generate inspiratory related breathing rhythm and influence respiratory motor pattern in mice”. Research and Technical

• Successfully identified neuron morphology, ion channels, and key biomarkers in the brain tissue of neonatal mice via immunohistochemistry and digital reconstruction to elucidate the mechanism underlying the respiratory rhythm and pattern.

• Acquired three-dimensional confocal microscopy of neurons labeled with biocytin and antibodies.

• Manually created accurate, scaled three-dimensional digital reconstructions of each labeled neuron morphology based on microscopy images using ImageJ and Neuromantic to be evaluated and incorporated into mathematical models.

• Determined trends among 40 different morphological features of digitally reconstructed neurons using L-measure, SOFA statistics, and MATLAB software packages.

Collaboration, Writing, and Presentation

• Used EndNote and Zotero while writing scientific documents, literature reviews, and successful grant proposals to obtain funding.

• Composed manuscripts that were successfully published in peer-reviewed journals.

• Presented research results at symposiums and conferences.

• Collaborated effectively with the principal investigator, professors, fellow graduate students, undergraduates, and high school interns.

• Created and modified documents and graphical elements for manuscripts and presentations. Graduate Student (MS), William & Mary Computational Biology Lab, August 2010 – December 2011

• Created a mathematical model of calcium oscillations in cardiac cells using MATLAB software.

• Effectively presented research results and collaborated with lab members on mathematical models of physiological phenomena of the heart and brain.

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA August 2007 – May 2010 JMU Graduate Assistant for Institute for Infrastructure & Information Assurance, August 2009 – May 2010

• Evaluated safety protocols for consistency and analyzed emergency plans for comprehensive preparedness. JMU Teacher’s Assistant for Environmental Science Lab and Biotechnology Lab, August 2008 – May 2009

• Assisted students with lab work and comprehension of course material.

• Graded assignments and offered students constructive feedback. Victoria Akins, PhD *********@*****.*** Page 3

MS Research Thesis, August 2008 – August 2010

Constructed system model to elucidate relationships between socioeconomic factors and diabetes prevalence. Senior Research Thesis, August 2007 – May 2008

Vector cloning of the lacritin gene, contributing to the development of a peptide treatment for dry eye syndrome. EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Applied Science: Neuroscience College of William and Mary

Master of Science (MS), Applied Science: Computational Biology College of William and Mary

Master of Science (MS), Integrated Science and Technology: Biotechnology James Madison University

Bachelor of Science (BS), Integrated Science and Technology: Biotechnology James Madison University

PARTNERSHIP BUILDING, VOLUNTEER WORK, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Grief support volunteer November 2023 – Present

James Madison University Alumni Association 2010 – Present College of William & Mary Alumni Association 2018 – Present Research Communication Partner Customer Service Rotation 2022 Virginia Beach Education Foundation Volunteer 2010 – 2015 National Diversity Leadership Conference 2012 – 2014 Emerging Minority Leadership Conference 2010 – 2012 Virginia State Leadership Training Conference 2000 – 2010 Tidewater District Parent Teacher Association Technology Advisor 2006 – 2008 Virginia Parent Teacher Association State Convention Volunteer 2000 – 2010 SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Lunch-and-Learn Presentation at Research Square June 2021 Company-wide presentation

Graduate Research Symposium (6 presentations) 2012 – 2017 Verbal presentations and research poster sessions

1st & 2nd Annual Virginia Commonwealth Graduate Education Day 2015 – 2016 Graduate student information panelist & research poster session The Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2014

Research poster presentation session

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS

Society for Neuroscience Member 2010 – 2021

College of William and Mary Honor Council Member 2014 – 2018 Mentorship of 16+ high school and undergraduate students in the Systems Neuroscience Lab 2012 – 2018 Management of William & Mary Systems Neuroscience High School Summer Internship program 2016 Graduate Cabinet Applied Science Representative 2013 – 2014 National Society of Collegiate Scholars 2006 – 2008 Victoria Akins, PhD *********@*****.*** Page 4

ADDENDUM

HONORS AND AWARDS

Technical Writer Communication Certification 2024

HTML Essentials Certification 2024

Arts and Sciences Graduate Research Grant Recipient, awarded biannually 2013 – 2017 Sigma Alpha Lambda Honors Organization Member 2007 – 2010 Cum Laude Graduate 2008

WMD Radiological/Nuclear Awareness Certification 2008 Virginia Parent Teacher Association Honorary Life Membership 2006 Advanced Microsoft Word & Microsoft Excel Certifications 2004 PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

• Akins VT, Weragalaarachchi KT, Picardo MC, Revill AL, Del Negro CA. Morphology of Dbx1 respiratory neurons in the preBötzinger complex and reticular formation of neonatal mice. Sci. Data 2017 Aug 1, 4:170097 doi: 10.1038/sdata.2017.97.

• Revill AL, Vann NC, Akins VT, Kottick A, Gray PA, Del Negro CA, Funk GD. Dbx1 precursor cells are a source of inspiratory XII premotor neurons. Elife. 2015 Dec 19, 4 pii: e12301. Doi 10.7554/eLife. 12301. PMID 26687006.

• Wang X, Hayes JA, Revill AL, Song H, Kottick A, Vann NC, LaMar MD, Picardo MC, Akins VT, Funk GD, Del Negro CA. Laser ablation of Dbx1 neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex stops inspiratory rhythm and impairs output in neonatal mice. Elife. 2014 Jul 15; 3:e03427. Doi: 10.7554/eLife 03427. PMID 2507440.

• Picardo MC, Weragalaarachchi KT, Akins VT, Del Negro CA. Physiological and morphological properties of Dbx1-derived respiratory neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex of neonatal mice. J Physiol. 2013 May 15; 591 (10):2687-703. Doi 10.1113/physiol.2012.250118. Epub 2013 Mar 4. PMID 23459755.

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