Arfa Momin
[email protected]
I’m a graphics reporter at The New York Times and a member of the 2026-27 Times Fellowship. I graduated with degrees in geography and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Previously, I worked at CalMatters, The Washington Post, and PLAIT Lab, while also serving as an editor at my student newspaper, The Daily Californian.
Selected Work
Over 1 in 5 high-level Trump picks held crypto
The Washington Post
An investigation into the unprecedented level of digital assets in the Trump adminstratrion an enormous reversal of fortune for the cryptocurrency industry. View project
DESIGN, CODE (D3.JS), REPORTING, WRITING
More extreme heat + more people = danger in these California cities
CalMatters
A data dive into population growth and California’s changing climate to identify the most vulnerable places facing high heat and high growth where resources to manage extreme heat days are low. View project
DATA, DESIGN, CODE (SVETLE), REPORTING, WRITING
Where National Guard troops and federal agents are patrolling D.C
The Washington Post
A breaking news visual story on where various agents and troops were verified to be spotted in D.C. during week one of Trump’s federal deployment. View project
REPORTING, MAPPING
These 42 California dams need repairs. But lawmakers cut the funds in half
CalMatters
These dams have the capacity to flood nearby towns and cities. The tool locates the nearest high-risk dam near an address to emphasize that point. View project
CODE (SVELTE), MAPPING (MAPBOX)
Navigating the Fourth of July
The Washington Post
A map of road closures in the National Mall and surrounding areas for annual Fourth of July Parade. View project
DESIGN, MAPPING (QGIS)
California needs a million EV charging stations — but that’s ‘unlikely’ and ‘unrealistic’
CalMatters
A data analysis into the unprecedented pace public chargers must be built at an to meet the states’s target in less than 7 years, and then doubled to 2 million in 2035. View project
DATA, CODE (SVELTE), REPORTING
Health care in California: How the state made almost everyone eligible for coverage
CalMatters
Almost everyone in California has health insurance. Through a series of data snippets, this piece dives into how the state made that happen. View project
DATA, REPORTING, WRITING
When will Trump’s ‘big’ tax law take effect? Here’s what to expect.
The Washington Post
A timeline of when certain provisions of Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ begin and expire, marked by key election dates. View project
DESIGN, REPORTING
Most WarnMes are sent with over 50 minutes of delay
The Daily Californian
A data investigation into UC Berkeley campus’s emergency notification system and how most notifications are significantly delayed. View project
DATA, CODE, REPORTING, WRITING
300 billion reasons the penny won’t be dead for a while
The Washington Post
A visual explainer on the pennies still in circulation. View project
DATA, DESIGN
Soundscape of the Bay
Independent project
A collective mapping of sound recordings documented uploaded by university students and community members across the San Francisco Bay Area. View project
DESIGN, MAPPING (QGIS)
Sounds of Berkeley
Independent project
I turned Berkeley into a soundscape—a collection of sound stories that define the space I interact with in this moment of my life. View project
CODE, DESIGN, SOUND EDITTING