'It is a bit hard to explain...' Communicating Your Work Beyond Academia

An interactive workshop for doctoral researchers on translating academic research into content that connects with a non-specialist audience. Drawing on her own experience taking zoology and anthropology research from the field to millions of viewers online, Dr. Gabriella Kountourides will cover how to find the "hook" in your own research, the practical craft of building content for different platforms and formats, and the ethical questions that come with communicating science publicly including accuracy, nuance, and how to gain audience trust. 

Dr. Gabriella Kountourides is a zoologist, anthropologist, and science communicator with a PhD from the University of Oxford. She has worked with the BBC and the Natural History Museum, and has built a fast-growing platform (@gabriellaexplains) across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where she translates research in zoology, evolution, and human biology for a public audience. She regularly speaks and consults on the space between academic research, media, and public engagement, helping researchers turn complex, often highly specialist work into stories that hold an audience's attention.