The Department of Physics has secured funding to develop a new training programme designed to strengthen researchers’ skills and confidence in public engagement. The programme includes a foundation workshop and three advanced sessions, each leading to engagement activities such as talks for schools and festival participation. Researchers will be able to apply their training guided by experienced engagement staff.
The programme will be led by Outreach Programmes Manager Sian Tedaldi and Access Officer Kat O’Brien Skerry alongside researcher and broadcaster Professor Chris Lintott and Rachael Hawkins, academic coordinator for COMPOS. A professional evaluator will assess impact of the scheme.
The programme will be funded by the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER) fellowship scheme. The scheme awarded fellowships to five projects and, as project lead, Sian Tedaldi was named as MPLS PCER Fellow: ‘We wanted to create opportunities for all researchers to develop public engagement skills and apply them to meaningful projects with tailored support. We hope to see more researchers engaging with our school and public activities, feeling equipped for effective engagement.’
Kat, who has a career that has spanned both formal and informal education, developed the original skills workshops that laid the groundwork for the structured pathways. She adds: ‘These sessions support researchers at all experience levels. Our foundation workshop builds presentation skills like pacing, breathing, and physicality, and later sessions teach interactive techniques and ways to make research accessible and engaging. We want people to leave these session ready to engage confidently.’
Professor Andrew Boothroyd heads up the Department of Physics: ‘We have a really strong culture of public engagement with research in our department and it is thanks in no small part to the work of our outreach team. They do an excellent job facilitating activity and initiatives across the department and they empower researchers at all stages of their careers to share their work to a wider audience. This fellowship is well-deserved and recognises the ambition, professionalism and effectiveness not only of Sian but the rest of the team too.’
The training sessions take place between November and January. Researchers interested in training can book sessions on the internal website.