Clare Green, Media and Communications Officer at the Francis Crick Institute and Stempra committee member shares highlights from a panel on “squiggly” science communication careers at Stempra’s 2026 Communications Training Day.
Careers in science communication can be, as described by session chair and Communications Officer at Springer Nature, Ben Norris, “squiggly”. They don’t follow a set path, can move between industries, and must be adaptable to a changing media landscape. Four seasoned science communicators joined us at Stempra’s 2026 Communications Training Day to chat through their career history and lessons they’ve learned along the way. Read their top tips here.
Lisa Boucher, Communications Manager, Springer Nature
Beginning her career in science publishing in a chemical industry society and editorial work at Springer Nature, Lisa then pivoted to science communication, building over fifteen years of experience in press work at Springer Nature.
- Be clear with organisations about the skills you want to develop, and grasp the opportunities as they come!
- Your career priorities might change based on what’s going on in your personal life. In the beginning, you might prioritise gaining lots of varied experience, but your career might then flex with life changes. After two maternity leaves, Lisa knew she needed stability and work-life balance, as well as career progression.
- There’s a balance between moving up a level and losing the work you enjoy doing. As Lisa says, “relish in being the expert”! There might still be opportunities within a role, such as building skills in AI or training other people. Variation is important, as is feeling you’re in control of your expertise.
- Run your own race. Sometimes it’s good to take stock and build experience within your role as much as it is to move ‘up’. What can you learn from other people; are there sideways opportunities; could you do freelance work on the side?
Variation is important, as is feeling you’re in control of your expertise. – Lisa
Maria Tennant, Senior Media and Communications Manager, Imperial Healthcare Trust
Maria completed a PhD before undertaking a variety of roles in communications, working across health charities, the NHS, Stonewall and the Royal College of Nursing. She’s now leading on research communications at Imperial College NHS Foundation Trust.
- You might need to change roles or pivot based on what’s going on in your life. For example, working for yourself could be helpful in between permanent jobs, or you might need to take on a short-term contract.
- Take leaps of faith and do things outside of your comfort zone: you will learn so much along the way. Maria has done roles where she felt less confident to start with but has ended up loving the experience and learning so much. For Maria, this has included taking on a much more senior position, leading media teams and even taking a step outside of science comms.
- Don’t be afraid to go with your gut: if you have a bad feeling about a role during the interview, you should listen to it. Your gut feeling is usually right!
- Understand what drives you and what makes you tick. Maria is driven by making a difference for people, and she loves working closely with both patients and researchers – and her role at Imperial does just that!
Take leaps of faith and do things outside of your comfort zone. – Maria
Al McCartney, Head of Communications and Engagement, Imperial Faculty of Medicine
Al began his career as a development researcher for science TV programs before joining the images team at the Wellcome Trust. A later move to Imperial College London allowed him to expand his expertise beyond digital communications. He’s now heading up the comms team at Imperial’s Faculty of Medicine.
- Al believes one of the biggest steps in a career is convincing an organisation that you can be responsible for someone else. He has made the case for a bigger team a few times in his career, allowing him to step up and manage more people. As a result, he’s learnt that the most satisfying part of a job for him is supporting team members to achieve results.
- Look for opportunities to be the solution to problems within and outside of your role, at the intersection of what you care about. At the same time, don’t be afraid to say no to jobs and opportunities if they don’t feel right.
- Keep learning and building your skills: Al has done training to build team management and leadership experience, helped to set up the Imperial As One Media Academy to promote diversity in research spokespeople,and took up an opportunity to complete an Executive Development Programme to complement his comms expertise. For Al, “your career journey is all about gaining varied experience!”
Look for opportunities to be the solution. – Al
Chris Buratta, Communications Manager at Schmidt Science Fellows
Chris started out as a journalist before ‘switching sides’ to communications, working with UK research councils and the NHS. He further refined his leadership skills in roles at the Alan Turing Institute and the UKRI, before beginning his current position for Schmidt Science Fellows, a global interdisciplinary science program.
- Chris is motivated by telling stories, from his early career as a journalist to many different roles in communications. He’s a strong advocate for understanding what motivates you: this might be easier to do looking back on your earlier experiences, so you know what to prioritise in your future career.
- Comms is rarely one channel: it’s all about storytelling, but developing skills to tell these stories in different ways will stand you in good stead.
- Like Al, Chris also enjoys leading a team, especially recruiting and building a team from the ground up. If you’re able to take an opportunity to manage or lead, and feel ready to do so, take it!
- Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail: Chris was unsure of what to expect when he pivoted to his current role, at an organisation of 17 people, from a company of 2,000. But a smaller organisation has allowed him to pick up more opportunities, such as working within an international context and delivering training programmes.
- Don’t get fixated on one route ahead – there are multiple, equally interesting and enjoyable paths!
If you’re able to take an opportunity to manage or lead, and feel ready to do so, take it! – Chris
