By Rukia Henry
For the final instalment on the series detailing “What Can You be with a PhD” career symposium, experts in science communication and media shared their experiences detailing their job positions, what it took to get there, and how a career in this field can be rewarding.
This panel session was moderated by Ben Lillie, CEO of Caveat, and featured panelists that included Dr Dave Bernstein, Senior Director of Science and Strategy at Stand up to Cancer, Dr Sally Burn, Director of Scientific Communications at Sema4 and Dr Julie Wolf, Science Communications Specialist at American Society for Microbiology.
Science communication is becoming increasingly important in our current era of social media, and every day we see evidence of false narratives and information being perpetuated to the public. As easy as it can be for scientists to put the blame on agencies and other organizations for sharing information lacking in knowledge and evidence-based facts, we must face the truth that oftentimes, scientists themselves are not the best at communicating their work to the public. With the use of complicated scientific words and jargons, there can be a huge disconnect between the world scientists exists in and what we expect the public, who aren’t privileged to have our background or expertise, to know.
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That is why Dr. Ben Lillie was inspired to co-found Caveat, a live show venue that combines science and entertainment in a fun way. Dr. Lillie worked at TED for a number of years. It is here he realized that while telling a story can be compelling, he noticed that it might not be interesting if it can’t keep one’s attention. So, he decided to venture into making a space that could combine the seriousness of science, that affects our everyday lives, and convey that message in an entertaining way to audiences.
Academics have the opportunity to tell their stories in a fun and lighted hearted way to an audience that will probably find their work not only amazing but funny. As it was described, “If you just want to laugh, go somewhere else. If you want to laugh, learn, love, and be inspired by a unique performance with a great drink in an awesome venue, Caveat is the place for you.”
Dr. David Bernstein takes a different approach to get his message of cancer awareness to the public – he utilizes and employs celebrities. On his end of the job, as the director of science and strategy, he is responsible for overseeing the grant portfolio that funds translational research, and he works closely with donors that help to fund research by explaining why the work is important. In addition, he works with the media and entertainment industries to engage celebrities to participate in campaigns that are aimed at sharing factual information about cancer and medicine to their large followings. A few celebrities who have been ambassadors for Stand up to Cancer include Ariana Grande, Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, just to name a few.
Dr. Bernstein explained that during his PhD, he gained an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellowship. This allowed him to gain experience in public engagement and science education, which helped forge the path to this current career and position. He advised that during your PhD, or even post-doctoral appointment, you should work beyond what you’re doing in the lab. That can include volunteering or taking on positions that are closely related to your career of interest.
Dr. Sally Burns works as the director for Scientific Communications at Sema4, a company with an interest in providing information and helping women with reproductive testing and family planning, and delivering precision therapeutics for cancer. Dr. Burns is involved in writing materials about reproductive testing, and also consults with mothers, a position that allows her to create a story that can be understood by other pregnant moms. Before her position a Sema4, she held a post-doc position for 8 years, during which he had an interest in pursuing a career in science communication. To this end, she began to write for blogs and run the social media page for different academic clubs and organizations. This experience proved to be valuable, and she learned to write stories that people, and ultimately her clients, care about.
Furthermore, Dr. Julie Wolf, Science Communications Specialist at ASM, is responsible for translating and communicating science from microbiologists to the general public. She also regularly hosts podcasts, creates YouTube content and also curates the Twitter account for ASM. During her PhD, and after she defended, she worked as a freelance writer for scientific journals. Because of her stellar work, she was hired full time by ASM. She recommends that students interested in this career path should first seek to build their own portfolio. This can be through starting a blog of your own, or writing for your school's blog or other scientific publications. Your experience will exemplify your caliber, and it will be much easier for you to be hired right after obtaining your PhD. If you are interested in this type of career path, and if you are looking to build your portfolio, consider becoming a writer for the iJOBS blog!
Resources for Careers in Science Communication
Some resources the panel collectively suggested to sharpen your communications skills included learning to utilize the tools on The Open Notebook, an online science journalism database where thousands of contributions from scientists can be pitched and published on a daily basis. In addition, scientists can consider contributing to tvtropes.org, a Wikipedia-like platform that is more related to pop culture and current trends and events. One major way that you can also potentially prepare for a career in science communication is to volunteer you time teaching in spaces to audiences with a general interest in science.
This post was edited by Vicky Kanta and Monal Mehta