Julia Baird joined Newsweek in February 2007 as Senior Editor for Science, Society and Ideas. In that role, she oversaw NEWSWEEK's coverage of social trends and scientific breakthroughs as well as fresh, important ideas. In 2009 she was made Deputy Editor.

Previously, she was at the Sydney Morning Herald from 1998-2007, in various roles. She was a columnist starting in 1999 and was the editor of the op-ed page from 2000-2005. She was also an education reporter and election editor.  In 2006 she was also the host of the investigative radio program "Sunday Profile" on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

In 2005, Baird was a fellow at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press and Public Policy at Harvard, researching the global response to American opinion in the lead-up to the Iraq War.  Her Ph.D., on female politicians and the press, was awarded in 2001, and her book on the subject was published in 2004.

Baird has also taught history (20th century cultural history and personal narratives, involving the study of letters, diaries and journals), made radio documentaries on subjects as diverse as black metal music and convent education, and has been a widely sought-after commentator on television and radio.  She was voted one of Australia's "Top 100 Intellectuals" by a Sydney Morning Herald poll IN 2005.

Baird received both her B.A. and Ph.D. in history from Sydney University.  She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.