Science communication career:
build the relevant skills and a portfolio

Text by Arittri Mallick

Editing by Olya Vvedenskaya and Diana Mitrea

Expert contribution Ekaterina Chukhno

• Transition from academia to science communication is easier than you think 

• Being an academic, you can build a rich science communication skillset while still in the lab

• Identify what you are good at, build your science communication expertise, and get hired

I enjoy communicating my research.

Science communication as a career sounds great, but do I have the relevant skills for it?

Transitioning from academia into science communication can feel natural yet daunting. A particular interest in translating the science that you do through writing, presentations, networking, collaborations, and so on: how to translate all this into a career in science communication? If you could relate to this, worry not and read on. This article is here to highlight the science communication skills necessary for beginners to make a foray into their first professional science communication role. Want to know an up side already? Some of these you may have been building on for years as an academic.

Science communication skills in academia

Academics consistently underestimate how much relevant science communication skills they have accumulated simply by performing the activities of a researcher. For example, a first-year PhD student, often considered an ‘academic newbie’, already performs significant translation of complex scientific jargon to learn about a new field and formulate doctoral project that would cater to a knowledge gap. At this juncture, the non-expert at the receiving end is the student herself. With experience and expertise, an academic researcher caters to multiple other non-experts, from collaborators, fellow scientists at a conference to the fresh new intern in the lab who is making, perhaps, her first foray into science. Other academic activities such as teaching university students, networking, delivering compelling conference talks, inviting new collaborations, and writing grants addressed to funding agencies require considerable understanding of who is at the receiving end.

Effective engagement of a scientist with academic stakeholders, such as a funding agency, an academic journal, or a potential collaborator paves the way for their scientific credibility and recognition. And these constitute essential science communication skills that a professional role could demand. The ability to engage with non-experts, make complex scientific jargon accessible, and team up to make a bigger impact: jobs in science communication value these skills that a researcher builds while being in the lab.

The other, less-obvious science communication skills in academia include community building, volunteering, and performing public-facing scientific outreach. Do you enjoy giving lab tours to enthusiastic kids during public outreach programs? Have you ever organised an institutional event that brought together a community of your peers towards a common cause, like ‘how to apply for a grant’, ‘career coaching workshop’, ‘how to give an engaging talk’, or just informal scientific discussions over a cup of coffee, or pizza? These are serious additions to a science communication skillset; the ability to adapt to your audience, mobilise a community around a common mission, and build a sense of belonging. 

The science communication skills that these entail: scientific leadership, audience-centered communication, event design, science advocacy, peer support, organisational and project management. A researcher therefore has access to a formidable skillset as a beginner in science communication. This only gets better, as scientists get numerous opportunities to volunteer in such activities within the very framework of their own research institute or university. 

Take another step further and actively participate in organising internal events, such as a science pub-quiz, a newsletter that highlights advances in your immediate community and scientific outreach. These can add to your science communication skillset as credible experiences of public engagement and community building. This shows that beyond your scientific sharpness lies a personality who cares about the vast potential of science to inspire and create change for the better. 

To sum up, it is important to recognize that you as a researcher are so much more than a scientist with a niche specialization. You are a teacher, a performer, a speaker, a writer, a thinker, and above all, somebody who gets things done despite failures. Revamping this experience as a science communication skillset is key to making a foray into this field and landing your first job.

A key step towards a science communication job: building a portfolio

Translating the relevant academic experiences into tractable science communication skills is necessary to bridge your transition from academia into science communication. The first step towards that goal is to build a ‘portfolio’. A portfolio complements your written CV as demonstrative evidence of your science communication expertise. Job applications in science communication often require one, and let me reassure you that it is possible to position your existing academic experience as workable portfolio material. 

Presentation slides, whether it was for a lab-meeting or a polished conference talk, serve as great examples of science communication skills that make your science visually accessible. With permission from the relevant institution, such as your university, your supervisor, or your program, you can use your presentation slides as material for the portfolio. Record your slides and overlay them with a voice-over to get the science across. Do the same with conference posters. Even without a voice-over, conference posters serve as great visual portfolios when shared with appropriate resolution and format. These not only demonstrate your skills to create digital scientific content, but also certify you as a presenter who makes complex jargon accessible to your intended audience.

Drafting a manuscript is something all academics go through at least once. It is important to recognize that completing a manuscript takes more than writing skills. If you have created original schematics, manuscript figures or constructed the narrative through visual abstracts, include them in your portfolio with adequate explanation to make them accessible. Again, keep in mind that unpublished data needs prior permission through proper channels before it can be showcased elsewhere. The manuscript itself serves as evidence of your scientific writing prowess. 

You can take a step further and write essays summarising your work for different audiences: an academic journal, a funding body, a public newsletter, or curious school kids. These samples could establish your ability to adapt your voice depending on who is at the receiving end. This is an essential quality that science communication roles look for. If this is something that draws you in, you can do the same for other scientific papers that you personally find compelling. Here, the sky becomes your limit on how much your portfolio could expand.

Organization of peer support events serves as another way to add to your portfolio. Although it might not be immediately evident how all that off-stage work that goes behind an event could look like in a portfolio. If you have created original content for event promotion, such as event posters, program brochures, websites, or booklets, each of these directly adds to the portfolio. If you have curated the event program, include it in the portfolio with a clear description of your role as the event planner. You garner points by displaying organization and project management in your set of science communication skills.

The more non-obvious aspect of event organization that could add to your portfolio is through the creation of relevant analytical infographics. Data such as the number of participants, speakers, sponsors, and the funding you acquired to materialise the event can be represented visually, for example as pie-charts, to show what you have achieved. Including these in the portfolio serves as solid evidence of your ability to turn an idea into legible progress while engaging with diverse audiences. Being a researcher, that is already a personality with attractive science communication skills for a professional role.

Having said that, engaging with a non-scientific community is essential for demonstrating your range as a science communicator. For example, a conference talk uses conventional scientific terminology directed at the research community. However, professional roles in science communication could be directed towards stakeholders who may not share your scientific background. For instance, instead of your collaborator, your students, or your peers being at the receiving end, it could be a governmental agency, a start-up CEO, or a non-profit organisation.

As proof of credibility to be able to cater to such roles, one needs to show formal science communication expertise. These include the ability to filter the details without losing precision, using appropriate and relatable analogies when necessary, and delivering the key message with a compelling voice to the body at the receiving end. Ideally, the portfolio should reflect, if not all, a few of these science communication skills to make for a strong job application. The good news is that a researcher can explore beyond the conventional boundaries of academia to build on these.

Building science communication skills to integrate into the portfolio

Volunteer to write for sci-pop outlets, university blogs, institutional newsletters, scientific societies, or non-profit organisations. These can serve as examples of written pieces directed at a diverse range of non-scientific audiences who react in real time. Create a podcast themed around a particular scientific concept that interests you. If you find visual media more appealing, start with visual storytelling through animations, digital art, infographics, illustrations and comics to get scientific concepts across. Use platforms such as YouTube, Discord, LinkedIn, Substack, Patreon, Behance, Spotify to reach your potential audience and encourage the formation of a community around it. Evidence that you can create compelling audio-visual content to communicate science not only makes the science more attractive, but also adds to your image as a multi-faceted communicator and strengthens your portfolio. 

Keep track of the progress you have made: page views, social reach, shares, event attendance and podcast listens. A record across your timeline can indicate not only the reach of your work, but also the rate at which your work has made an impact. Progress is perceived as subjective without proper analytics. Do your homework, and your impact will be unanimously recognized.

Freelancing is another way to build your science communication portfolio. If you do not want to build your own audience from scratch, freelancing for a company places your work in front of an existing community. A few possible ways to contribute would be by scientific and medical writing, digital content creation, and product management. This way, you can get a taste of the professional role without fully committing to it, while building your portfolio of science communication skills. Besides, this keeps you ahead in the race if you want to get hired for a full-time role.

Tailoring your experience into a set of science communication skills

An academic CV rides on highlighting conventional academic outputs: conference presentations, publications, grants, awards, collaborations, teaching, without explicitly articulating the science communication skills developed through these experiences. Job applications in science communication require translating your academic experiences into a language that highlights the keywords in your science communication skillset: audience engagement, knowledge translation, storytelling, public speaking, stakeholder communication, community building, and so on. Listing the conferences that you have attended may carry less weight than demonstrating how you communicated the ideas, engaged audiences, or invited a sought-after collaboration. Positioning your experience so it translates into a set of relevant science communication skills is therefore essential. Like learning the language of a foreign country when you move, speaking the language of the field that is science communication is the first key shift to transitioning from academia. And your job application is where you make the first impression of this.

Teaching, science outreach, scientific writing, conference attendance, scientific presentations, collaborations, lab visits–these activities can be pitched in your job application through the lens of science communication. If you have taught in a course, or engaged with students unfamiliar with your research area, reframe the description under ‘Teaching Assistant’ with a focus on science communication skills: ‘translated complex scientific concepts into accessible explanations to adapt to learner needs, strategised and designed content for effective scientific education’. If you managed to invite a collaboration from another scientific group at a conference, position this experience as your networking abilities and goal-oriented communication skills with an external stakeholder that facilitated team-building and a larger scientific impact. Besides these, conference attendance, organisation, curating abstracts, and presentations highlight organisational skills, project management, visual content creation, networking prowess, and public presence as a speaker. Some conferences even have on-site competitions for an effective elevator pitch, which could serve as awesome portfolio material for a hands-on demonstration of persuasive storytelling with scientific accuracy.

An academic has access to science communication skills while in the lab, at conferences, community events, and outreach programs. Opportunities are abundant, but you must reach out and grab them to be able to learn and build on your science communication skillset. If you care about the reach science can have in our daily lives, from shaping the economy, business infrastructure, and healthcare to fighting climate change and raising public awareness, try to find the true calling that will draw you to the right role in science communication. Being a scientist serves as a clear advantage, as you already strive to have a systemic understanding and identify gaps where improvement could shine. Advocating for a better world by using science as a tool; a job in science communication could be a great fit for that calling. 

Follow your instincts, build your unique science communication skills

Landing your first job in science communication does not have a set, formulated path. It is a path that is dependent on your domain of skills and inclinations. Whether you like writing, speaking, being on stage, illustrating, running a podcast, creating digital content, or engaging with the masses, your natural talents and inclinations could indicate the skills that you could build on. 

The second decisive factor would be to consider who your preferred target audience is. Do you like engaging with the public, or stakeholders such a company, a non-profit organisation who do possess a scientific background, or do you prefer technical communication with other academic researchers within the scientific community? Together, your preferred skills and target audience could determine the professional role that is best fit. Accordingly, you could build your science communication skills towards transitioning into this role.

Having no specific formula for a successful transition from academic into science communication has more pros than cons. You can build your unique skillset following your personal tendencies, your current expertise, and your future potential. We wish you all the best with finding your unique strengths and carving your own path towards your destination. Here’s to a growing community of science communication enthusiasts: there is nothing you cannot achieve once you have convinced yourself that this is what you were meant for.

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