Steps in science communication

Many of us love science, and everyone is different about how they want to employ that passion. Some people find something absolutely fascinating, that one ‘thing’ that they just want to find out everything about and they don’t really mind that much about what else is out there. They go on to be incredible researchers who might be responsible for earth-shattering findings. Others, like me, just find that there is so much out there that we want to find out about as much as we can and we find it hard to focus on that one thing we are meant to be researching. Like many, I found science communication by accident and that’s why I was keen to write this blog.
I was looking for a way to combine my experience in science with my organisational skills when I discovered a role in corporate communications at a science institution. It was fabulous. I did everything from organising visits from school children to dealing with Sky news; from rebranding the Institute in which I was working, to editing grants. It was there I discovered that I did have writing, editing and creative skills that complemented my science skills and that there was a way in which I could find the variety I craved. I loved that one day I could be writing a press release on epigenetics and the next editing a grant on developmental biology. I also loved talking to key opinion leaders and, despite them being quite scary while I was at University, they were actually really appreciative of the help that I was giving them. In each of these blog posts I will talk about the variety of jobs that employ science communications skills, what they involve and how you might go about identifying skills you already have that would make you more employable in this area.