Robert Hodson, Ph.D

Technical Writer and Editor

United States

The best writing is transparent; it does not draw attention to itself but instead helps the reader engage with the ideas and encourages them to continue reading.

I specialize in editing academic and technical manuscripts to the highest level of professional writing. Your final document will have prose that is clear, concise, and flows.

Besides editing, I am also a professional musician. My musical training and experience help me to understand the importance of rhythm to both music and written language. Musical lines use flow and rhythm to engage the listener and pull them along to the end. Sentences and paragraphs work the same way; the rhythm and flow lead the reader through the sentence, slowing on important points and moving forward to the next phrase.

I have extensive experience as an educator, scholar, and academic administrator and have written a book, scholarly papers, grant proposals, curriculum design, instructional materials, and technical guides. I have served as a manuscript reviewer for several publishers, including Prentice Hall and Oxford University Press.

I have been teaching writing at the university level for 21 years. I have also guided many students through research papers, theses, and graduate school applications. My students have been accepted into graduate programs at Harvard, UCLA, University of Chicago, Columbia, University of Michigan, and others.

Continuing and long-term clients include:

• SRI International (Stanford Research Institute)
• Intellisense Systems Inc.
• Valiantys
• AvidThink
• James Lange, best-selling author and financial advisor
• tech firms, management and technology consultants, professors, Ph.D. students, op-ed authors, websites, non-profit organizations, and more

Below is a portfolio of some of the work I've edited and written. In addition, you can also see the book I edited called Retire Secure for Professors by Jim Lange, which you can recieve an advanced copy of here:
https://cl111.infusionsoft.app/app/form/retire-secure-for-professors

If you would like to purchase my book, Interaction, Improvisation, and Interplay in Jazz, it's available through Amazon, which is linked below:
https://www.amazon.com/Interaction-Improvisation-Interplay-Robert-Hodson-ebook/dp/B01ENQIPEE

Portfolio

Selected Writing and Editing Examples

Personal Document
Example Editing Sample

This document includes a paragraph before any edits, with all edits shown, and the final product.

Medium
02/17/2021
Featured innovator: Kaitlin Moore

For Kaitlin Moore, there was inspiration in atoms. Moore was only 20 or so, studying at the University of Michigan, when she started a position as a laboratory research assistant. The team she joined was conducting experiments centered on a tabletop atomic clock.

Published Work Written or Edited for SRI International

Medium
05/17/2022
75 Years of Innovation: Shakey the Robot

The 75 Years of Innovation series highlights the groundbreaking innovations spanning from SRI's founding in 1946 to today. Each week, SRI will release an innovation, leading up to its 75th anniversary in November 2021. Today Roomba, the robot vacuum cleaner, whizzed around, stealthily cleaning my carpets, after having mapped out the room.

Medium
05/11/2022
Featured Innovator: Yi Yao

Dr. Yi Yao is a Technical Director in SRI International's Computer Vision Laboratory. Dr. Yao and her team work on a wide range of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision problems, including advances in explainable AI. "When I first joined SRI, I was very impressed with the lifecycle and scope of projects.

Medium
09/15/2021
Predictive maintenance for Industrial Internet of Things

As WIFI network coverage expands exponentially, the number of internet-enabled devices is exploding. Examples include so-called "smart" TVs, refrigerators, ovens, security cameras, doorbells, baby monitors, toothbrushes, smoke detectors, tennis rackets, etc. - there's an internet-connected version of pretty much any device you can think of. Together, these connected devices comprise the Internet of Things (IoT).

Medium
09/29/2021
Experience distant interiors with REscan

The digital age has opened many doors, allowing us to see, hear, experience and explore places and settings all over the world from a distance. Google Earth; namely, takes you to the front door of a building, but that particular door doesn't open.