[online lecture] How your research can make an impact on society

Tuesday 27 October, 2015 - 3pm CET (UTC+1)/ 8PM (Hanoi) - Check your time zone

Duration: 40 min

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When assessing science the impact of your work is often measured by citations and the impact factor of the journal you publish in. However, the societal impact is an increasingly important factor in valuing research. For example in grant writing there exists a need to show in advance what the societal impact of your research amount to.

How can you define and measure this impact and what are some of the side effects of bringing a wider audience in contact with science outcomes? Also, where does your responsibility as a researcher start and end? Do you need to make sure legislation changes or is it enough to increase the general public’s awareness and let politicians agendas be ruled by new insights in science? Based on his own experiences in writing and publishing, Dr Alex Ford has seen his research being picked up by mainstream media with headlines such as ‘Shrimps on Prozac’ and transformed into plays by novel artists. Dr Ford will explain in this online lecture how to write about the societal impact of your research, how to attract attention to your work and how to deal with a vast amount of unexpected exposure to your research. 

ALEX FORD  

Dr Alex Ford studied Biological Sciences as an undergraduate at Plymouth University (1993-1996), followed by an MSc in Environmental Biology at University of Wales Swansea (1997). After spells working as a Nature Conservation Officer, Pollution Control Officer and Turtle Biologist, he settled down to a Senior Research Assistant post back in Wales (Swansea University 1991-2001) where he worked on a large European funded project identifying and mapping the epibenthic diversity of the North Sea. A PhD followed at Napier University (Edinburgh) investigating the effects of pollution on the endocrine systems of crustaceans (2001-2004).
On completion of his PhD he spent two and a half years lecturing at Napier University (2004-2007) followed by a Senior Research Fellowship post at the UHI Millennium Institute (2007-2008) based in Thurso (N. Scotland). He joined the School of Biological Sciences at Portsmouth University in August 2008 as a Senior Lecturer in Marine Zoology and became a Reader in Biology in 2012.