Considering… Science Communication
Introduction
There is a range of career areas which all involve communicating scientific ideas to either a specialist
audience or a non-technical audience.
Examples of jobs in this area include:
 Technical writer/ author
 Scientific publisher
 Scientific journalist
 Museums educator in a scientific visitor
attraction
 Medical writer
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Events organiser
TV presenter
Science teacher (see Considering
Teaching information sheet)
Healthcare communicator
Science analysis for public policy
Science communication can also refer to the role of people who promote public engagement with
science through events, festivals, presentations, written articles, e-learning, etc. The British Council has
a web page which details the range of ways that science is communicated to the public
www.britishcouncil.org/talkingscience
Is this the sector for me?
 Consider the skills/qualities you might need. These are likely to include:
 research skills
 scientific knowledge and understanding
 ability to make sense of complex information
 creativity/imagination
 excellent standard of written language
 ability to structure information logically, concisely and clearly
 speaking and presentation skills
 ability to use language appropriate for the audience
 IT/design/illustration skills
 accuracy & attention to detail
 teamworking.
Do you possess these skills and qualities? Can you demonstrate that you have them? Can you
find ways to develop them?
Work experience and developing skills
 Your department may run various outreach activities to which you could contribute e.g.
www.york.ac.uk/physics/public/ for physics students
www.york.ac.uk/biology/public-engagement/ for biology
www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/schools/ for chemistry
 Participate in the York Café Scientifique www.ypsyork.org/cafe-scientifique/
 Look for opportunities with outreach/school activities or with science festivals e.g. National
Science and Engineering Week in March and the British Science Festival in November
www.britishscienceassociation.org/
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Your professional body may well organise this sort of event, i.e. the Institutes of Physics and
Biology, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Maths and its Applications and the
Institute of Engineering and Technology
Volunteer in a science centre or museum
Participate in competitions and get used to pitching and making poster presentations
Involvement with local schools could help develop the ability to explain things simply and relate
your science knowledge to the national curriculum www.york.ac.uk/careers/ysis/
Build up a portfolio of any work you do, i.e. keep copies of published articles, programmes of
events you have organised, photographs of activities etc
Look for internship opportunities, e.g. The Royal Society of Chemistry has a summer Science
Writing internship. www.rsc.org , also see the Naked Scientists www.thenakedscientists.com
For PhDs, there is the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) Fellowship
scheme www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/bicameral/post/fellowships
Note: some internships offered in this sector may be unpaid. Before starting an internship you should be clear about the
length of the internship, pay and conditions, what you will be expected to do, and what you will gain from the experience.
Routes into the sector
Post-graduate study is not essential, although it is a good way to develop your skills and experience.
 There are specialist courses in technical or science communication or general journalism
courses. Consider where your interests lie and investigate courses and costs carefully.
 There are several relevant courses. Use www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy to search
postgraduate courses. The National Council for the Training of Journalists has a list of accredited
journalism courses www.nctj.com
Useful resources
Information sheets (www.york.ac.uk/careers/infosheets)
 Work experience in Science and Engineering
 Considering Teaching
 Considering Journalism
 Considering Publishing
Careers websites
 Graduate profiles (search under the Job sector headings) – www.york.ac.uk/careers/profiles
 There are several professional journals for communicators of science, e.g. Science
Communication is a quarterly journal about the theory and practice of diffusing knowledge to the
general public and amongst professionals http://scx.sagepub.com/
 Online Networks to keep up to date with issues being discussed include BIG-chat (British
Interactive Group) www.big.uk.com/ and the Public Communication of Science and Technology
(PCST) www.upf.edu/pcstacademy/PCST_Network/
Public engagement with science/ science events
 The Wikiversity has a useful and comprehensive resource detailing many potential employers,
postgraduate courses, and events
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Science_communication_in_the_United_Kingdom however, as with
all wikis, the quality of the content cannot be guaranteed
 www.britishscienceassociation.org/ lots of general information about the range of activities
involved in science communication. Also, a list of media, science communication and other
training courses
 www.publicengagement.ac.uk/ National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement
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http://sciencecentres.org.uk/ Association for Science and Discovery Centres, aiming to promote
public awareness of science and technology. On this site you can access the sites of UK Science
Centres.
www.scitech.ac.uk/ Science Technology Facilities Council. An independent multidisciplinary
research organisation which is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Business,
Innovation & Skills (DBIS)
Technical author/ science writer
 www.wellcome.ac.uk/ research organisation, which also seeks to improve understanding of the
development of science and medicine and how research affects people and society today – offer
an annual science writing prize
 www.absw.org.uk/ download the Association of British Science Writers’ So you want to be a
science writer
 www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations profiles for science writer and technical author
 www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/sciencewriting.htm a good overview of science writing
 Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators www.istc.org.uk/what-is-technicalcommunication/
Museums educator
 www.heritageinterpretation.org.uk
 www.museumsassociation.org
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Medical writer
http://www.emwa.org/
Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine Public Relations Association
www.stempra.org.uk/
TV presenter
 http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles_and_stories/job_roles/305_tv_presenter
 New Scientist article
www.newscientist.com/blogs/bigwideworld/2010/10/dream-job-6-science-tv-presenter.html
Healthcare communicator
 Healthcare Communications Association www.hca-uk.org/about/HCA-workinggroups/careers.html
Science analysis for public policy
 Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology www.parliament.uk/post
Social media
 Science, Engineering and Technology at York facebook sector page
(www.york.ac.uk/services/careers/vle/opps/sci) and on Twitter (http://twitter.com/YorkCareersSci)
Please note: The websites listed here are not intended to represent a comprehensive list. Careers cannot be held
responsible for the content of external websites.
Sept 14