Online talk with Prof. Dr. Carsten Könneker on 23 February“Communication is really part of research”

27 February 2023

Fotos von Fenja De Silva-Schmidt und Carsten Könneker

Photo: HRA/Sommer, Gero von der Stein

Is research communication a must for all researchers? And how can I get started in the field? On 23 February, Dr. Fenja De Silva-Schmidt (Hamburg Research Academy) and Prof. Dr. Carsten Könneker, long-standing editor-in-chief at Spektrum der Wissenschaft and former professor of science communication at KIT, held an online talk. They touched on current developments and the roles of journalism and science and also gave some tips for developing your own research communication projects.

As part of its one-hour WissKomm-Talks, the Hamburg Research Academy invites people who work in various areas of research communication. The perspectives from real-life practice provide the early career researchers who attend the talks with inspiration for their own communication work and enable them to gain insights into potential professional fields and discussions on academic policy. Past talks included the science journalist Dagny Lüdemann, the deep-sea research and communicator Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, and professor of business communication Prof. Dr. Stefanie Molthagen-Schnöring.

Research communication as political goal

Könneker said that scientific pursuit lives from communication—internal communication, meaning exchange within the research community at conferences and through publications, is inseparable from scientific progress. External communication is also an important point, he continued, and in the future, it could very well become standard in good scientific practice.

Discussion ensued about the additional burden this could create for researchers. Roughly half of the participants confirmed that they feel external pressure to actively engage in research communication. Könneker reported that, in the last several decades, policymakers have increasingly approached universities on the topic. “It is my prognosis that this will become more intense—at the moment, we are in a situation in which the pressure is still building.” Even if the call for research communication resembles hype, Könneker maintained that, while it is not a panacea, it does serve the interests of researchers. “We need to speak to the general public about what we are doing.”

Resources mentioned in the talk

New jobs, new possibilities

Thanks to a growing focus on the topic of research communication, jobs in university communications have proliferated, while the number of science journalists and editors in science journalism has decreased substantially. For doctoral and early career researchers who do not wish to stay in research, these jobs open up new opportunities. If you are interested in research communication, you should also be open to new ideas, according to Könneker. It can also be helpful, he said, to figure out your own links to the various areas and to be able to present first samples of your work. Therefore, he continued, it is worth taking a stab at it; it is advisable to use support services within the university and to cooperate with others in joint projects.

How do I find the right format?

To start off in research communication, Könneker advises first starting to look at your own strengths and interests: what formats do you find exciting, what is fun for you? It also makes sense to orient yourself to the desired target group. Many extant opportunities target an educated and interested public, so it is worth looking more closely at other types of public. Here, says Könneker, you need to weigh the effort and efficacy. For example, formats for children from less educated families are harder and more involved but could also be more effective than just another science blog.

Research Communication Project

The project seeks to encourage doctoral and early-career researchers in Hamburg to communicate their own research, help them apply the methods of research communication effectively, and provide a platform where science and society can meet. Find out more on the project page!