Research Comms

In this week's episode I welcome back friend of the podcast and science communicator, Sam Illingworth, to talk with me about the recent report 'Climate Communication in Practice - How Are We Engaging the UK Public with Climate Change?' produced by Sam and members of the Climate Communications Project.  We discuss the importance of identifying specific audiences, the need to understand their belief...

Science and storytelling are not often seen as natural bedfellows. Stories are more commonly associated with the make-believe, told for purposes of entertainment or escapism. Cast as being a million miles away from the strict, truth-seeking nature of science. But in reality science and storytelling have a great deal to offer each other, at least when it comes to the communication of science. In th...

In September of this year London welcomed an exciting new addition to its cultural scene - Science Gallery London - opened by King’s College London at its central London Bridge location. It promises to be a place ‘where science and art collide’ designed with young adults in mind; a space where visitors can consider the most urgent scientific challenges we face, through the lens of art and culture....

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In 2011 the Academic Ideas Lab was created, with the goal of transferring the most exciting research stories from UK universities onto our TV screens and radios. Ex TV producer, Lucy Vernall, runs the company and in this episode of the Research Comms podcast she talks about the challenges of getting shows commissioned, what elements can turn a piece of research into a captivating documentary idea,...

Just over ten years ago a couple of communications staff at Oxford University realised that there was need for a one-stop-shop where members of the public could go to find out more about the university's scientific research. Oxford Sparks was the result. It started out as a website and has since grown into a multi-faceted digital engagement programme, including including podcasts, animations, blog...

Last week I met up with one of the most influential figures in British science and science communication, Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive of the British Science Association. The  British Science Association  is an organisation that plays a prominent role on the science scene over here in the UK. It's been around for almost 200 years now, since it was founded in 1831 as the British Association...

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This week's episode of the Research Comms podcast comes all the way from America's wild and wonderful Lone Star State......Texas. A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the University of Texas in Austin to meet the team behind some of the most creative research and science communication content that's coming out of American universities at the moment. J.B. Bird is UT's Director of Media Relations and C...

This episode tells the story of a team of scientists and doctors from Newcastle’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research who spent years campaigning strenuously, alongside patients, to persuade UK policymakers to pass a law that would permit the use of a pioneering but controversial fertility treatment The team from Newcastle hoped that the IVF treatment, known as mitochondrial donation,...

This week's episode comes right from the heart of Bloomsbury in London; from iconic Senate House, to be precise, where the UK's only dedicated humanities festival, the Being Human festival, is organised. The man in charge of putting on this public engagement extravaganza is Michael Eades and I caught up with him to chat about the health of the humanities and to hear his insights into what it's lik...

This week the Research Comms podcast is becoming somewhat introspective with an episode all about...podcasts! I was lucky enough to joined by Emily Elias, presenter and producer of my favourite research podcast around at the moment, the  Oxford Sparks Big Questions  podcast, and we shot the breeze about topics such as why podcasts are so popular right now; how to communicate complex research in an...

My guest on Episode 1 is science communication expert,  Sam Illingworth . Sam is a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University and he is also a prolific practitioner of digital science communication. Listen for Sam's top tips on how to avoid being overwhelmed when it comes to building an engaged community around your research, and a live rendition of one of his f...