The Center for Investigative Reporting is thrilled to be one of seven organizations that will be hosting a 2015 Knight-Mozilla fellow.

During the 10 months fellows will spend in newsrooms across the country, they will be assigned to “try new things, to document them in the open, and to connect with the broader community of people writing code in journalism.”

CIR’s fellow is Julia Smith, a designer and developer from Omaha, Nebraska. She’s held a variety of roles in journalism and information technology. She has worked on news sites, mobile applications, enterprise software and corporate websites.

“I'm excited to be a Knight-Mozilla Fellow at CIR because it's a great opportunity to make real, meaningful change,” Smith said. “I'm drawn to CIR's mission-driven approach to journalism and public empowerment, and I'm looking forward to helping bring interactive, data-driven experiences to life.”

Knight-Mozilla promises great things from their fellows, who were chosen from more than 400 applicants: “Over the year a fellow will play the role of coder, teacher, mentor (and mentee), adventurer, colleague, and friend. They’ll push themselves, and journalism, in new directions. They’ll do work that has real impact – on themselves and on the web.”

Other organizations hosting a Knight-Mozilla fellow are The Guardian, La Nación, NPR, Vox Media (whose fellow will be announced later this year), and The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Contact Jennifer LaFleur, senior editor for data, with questions at jlafleur@cironline.org.