Robert Lee Hotz is a senior special writer for The Wall Street Journal where he covers new research and its impact on society. He is also president of the Alicia Patterson Foundation, which funds independent journalism projects around the world. He is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. For his coverage of genetic engineering, he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1986 and again in 2004 for his coverage of the space shuttle Columbia accident. Mr. Hotz shared in The Los Angeles Times' 1995 Pulitzer Prize for articles about the Northridge Earthquake. His work has been honored by the National Academies of Science, The Society of Professional Journalists, The American Geophysical Union and The American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a past president of the National Association of Science Writers. He is the author of a book on human embryo research called "Designs On Life: Exploring the New Frontier of Human Fertility," and a contributor to three books on science policy.