Taking part in these activities has given me a different perspective on my research and helped me understand better how it relates to the lives of the wider public.
- Dr Chrystalina Antoniades
In the Early Career Researcher Category the Oxford Neuroscience winners were Dr Chrystalina Antoniades, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and Dr Elizabeth Tunbridge, Department of Psychiatry.
Professor Alastair Buchan, Dean of Medicine and Head of the Medical Sciences Division commented: 'They’ve all shown creative ways to engage with new audiences across a board range of research topics. It is truly inspiring and I’m sure will encourage others to seek out innovative and exciting ways to co-create value for our society and economy outside of academia – something we all have a responsibility to do.'
Discussing my research with non-specialists makes me, and my lab members, better at communicating complex scientific ideas in an accessible manner.
- Dr Liz Tunbridge
The Vice-Chancellor said: 'We want to create a climate in which we can embed public engagement even more deeply into our research practices…Our aim is to ensure that Oxford acquires a reputation for engaging the public that equals our reputation for research.'
Professor Hannah Smithson from the Department of Experimental Psychology also won a prize in the Projects Category for her work which has challenged commonly held misconceptions about the categorisation of scientists versus non-scientists.