In 2016 we published an infographic that explored the career paths of our students after they completed their MSc. In 2024 we will be celebrating 20 years of our MSc science communication at UWE Bristol and we thought it would be timely to catch up with our graduates’ careers now and we’re even more impressed. You can view our updated infographic below.
To gather the data for the infographic we took a couple of routes.
Just over 300 students have graduated from our UWE science communication postgraduate programmes since 2003 and whilst we aren’t in contact with all of them, a significant number have kept in touch with us via a dedicated LinkedIn group that we use to share news and job opportunities. Following ethics approval from UWE Bristol (HAS.23.03.088) we drew together information on our graduates if they were a member of that group and included their postgraduate programme amongst their public LinkedIn profile. We also offered an opt out period for graduates who would prefer not to be included in the infographic. This resulted in data from 55% (n=165) of graduates who completed the programme between 2003 and 2022.
We also contacted a number of graduates requesting their participation in a case study. Here, and in a second blog post which we will be sharing soon, we capture some of the key points from the infographic and case studies.
77% (n=128) of our graduates now work in science communication directly and one clear example of this is Dr Amy Seakins, who after also completing a PhD, is now Deputy Head of Public Engagement at Imperial College London. Amy supports staff and students to engage the public with their research and work – her team runs training sessions, seed funding, awards, and networks all about engaging with public audiences. Amy is also,
‘passionate about evaluation, a lot of my work involves looking at the impact of public engagement and understanding the benefits for everyone involved’.
For Amy, some of the key aspects of her current role were underpinned by the teaching she experienced at UWE. When we asked her about a ‘take away’ from the programme she said:
‘I was amazed at the breadth of different roles in the science communication sector – the course really opened my eyes to the variety in the field. On a more academic note, understanding why two-way dialogue is so important over a ‘deficit model’ way of thinking has underpinned everything I have done since.’
Amy also highlighted that she’d most enjoyed one aspect of the programme:
‘The people. (That’s probably not a surprise from someone who works in engagement!) The staff are brilliant and so generous with their expertise. The fellow students and their varied backgrounds and interests – you really get to know your cohort and develop a great mini network for beyond the course. Plus the guest speakers and others you meet along the way.’
19% of our graduates now work in fields related to science communication, like science teaching, for the NHS, as civil servants or in the (non-science charity sector) but sometimes the boundaries between science communication and other types of roles can be quite blurred. One interesting example here is Andy Robinson-Noades. Andy graduated from our programme nearly 10 years ago, and now works as a Senior Concept Manager at LEGO Education in Denmark. Within this role, Andy is working on the development of FIRST LEGO League, an international STEM learning program for 4–16-year-olds that is delivered in over 110 countries. Andy said his tip for future students looking to develop a career in science communication would be to try things out:
‘The best tip would be to try out every opportunity you can, even if you don’t think it will be for you. These experiences will introduce you to new people, perceptions and techniques that you may not have been aware of but will, in my experience, pave the direction to your career.’
Andy also related this to aspects that he enjoyed in the MSc programme, saying
‘it was the perfect blend of theory and practical. We had the opportunity to learn the core of the subject, giving us the foundations to go and apply it into our own initiatives.’
Our graduates work in a breadth of fields from universities and research institutes, to industry, science communication associations and funders, with some graduates also developing freelance careers. 17% of graduates that are working directly in science communication are now working in charity-based settings, and one example here was Sarah Venugopal, who is now Head of Impact at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity). Sarah leads the team that evaluates the impact of projects that GOSH Charity has funded and helps to communicate that impact to the public. We asked Sarah for a tip for future science communicators, and she highlighted that flexibility has helped her:
‘Be open to lots of opportunities for science communication, even if it feels like a non-traditional route or form. After the course, I joined a graduate scheme in market research and learned a lot about qualitative research methods. I did a more “traditional” science communication role after this, and found I did more science communication on my graduate scheme than I thought! This set me up well for my future science communication roles.’
For Sarah, exploring opportunities was something that had started during her time in Bristol:
‘Bristol is a wonderful city – big enough for there to be lots to do and yet still maintain a community feeling. Studying in Bristol provided me with great opportunities to gain experience in Science Communication alongside the course – I was able to volunteer at @Bristol (now called We The Curious) in my free time. There are lots of science communications opportunities in and around Bristol: my first paid job in science communication after the course was an evaluation of a student film festival in Exeter.’
Bristol is a very active city for science communication, and 28% (n=47) of our graduates have stayed based in the city after their studies but we also have a large network of graduates around the globe. Dr Wilasinee Triyarat who completed her MSc and PhD at UWE is one example, as she is now the Director of Research and Academic Services Division at the National Center for Public Awareness of Science, National Science Museum, Thailand. In this role she has developed a science communication curriculum for university students to recognise the importance of science communication and the role of science communicators, and she is currently working on research to promote good health for older people through museums to support Thailand’s transition to an aging society. Wilasinee also enjoyed her time in Bristol:
‘Sharing ideas and experiences between classmates was an important part of the MSc that allowed me to explore new ideas. In addition, I made new friends from different backgrounds. We are still in contact and support each other’s science communication careers. The benefit of learning with experts from various backgrounds was my most enjoyable moment. It gave me new perspectives and ideas that have supported my career.’
International students are an important part of our programme, and we’ve been delighted to welcome many over the years, who have shared with us examples, stories and insights from their own societies and cultures. We also welcome students to our programme from an array of disciplinary backgrounds, and this means that a number of our graduates are now involved in communication roles that communicate a wide range of different types of research. Paloma Salgado Tonga, has also returned to a museum setting but is now Director of Experience Design at the Interactive Museum of Economics in Mexico. There she leads the research, content development, graphic and museographic design teams to develop permanent and temporary exhibitions for the museum, both in the national and international arena. Paloma’s top take away from the programme had been that the ‘tools you need and develop for a creative and innovative science communication can come from unexpected places and be applied in many different fields’. This also formed the basis of the advice she would provide for future students looking to develop their careers:
‘Search for new projects, in different disciplines (design museums, tv, podcasts, pop ups, art museums, etc.) and experiment using their mechanisms, tools, and ways to innovate in science communication. The way we communicate and open conversations with other people changes very quickly and is a complex human endeavour. Dare to experiment, dare to use art, design, different spaces, literature, poetry, anything that helps you build a bond between science and the public. Neutrality is overrated. Dare to be creative.’
In the next instalment of these blog posts, which will be published next week, we’ll be looking at some of the other career areas our students are now working in, the different ways you can combine study and working, and how our students progressed to more strategic areas of their careers.
Professor Clare Wilkinson, Science Communication Unit Co-Director & Dr Amanda Webber, MSc Science Communication Programme Leader.