RUB Research School

Research Communication Day

Exploring the Range of Research Communication

Talks, publications, interdisciplinary research networks, personal websites, (social) media or cooperations with non-university partners: There are many ways and options to communicate your research. Together with experienced researchers you will discuss a broader understanding of research communication. You will explore why and how integrating highly specialized research knowledge into effective communication strategies might be important – within academia and beyond.

Panel discussions, short expert inputs and interactive sessions will allow you to reflect and further develop your own research communication strategy. You can advance your understanding on how to disseminate your complex research ideas as best as possible.

Takeaways for your own research communication

Researchers from various disciplines of RUB share their knowledge and experiences on why and how they communicate their research – from highly specified expert communities to science communication beyond academia. By short real case examples and panel discussions, they explain approaches for different aims and target-groups. They will discuss with you why a broader range of communication had an impact for them being successful and visible in research. In a post-it session you will share and discuss your research project and your self-understanding as researcher with peers from other disciplines.

Join for RS Certificate: If you are interested in the Research School Certificate, participation in Research Communication Day is required once during your doctorate.

Research Communication Day 2024:
Thursday March 21, 09:30 - 16:00 h - Registration open

The event is planned interactively: the invited researchers share their knowledge and experiences. You can bring in your understandings and opinions by real-time online votings and we would like to invite you to bring all your questions to discuss them with researchers and peers.

We present the participating researchers with their profiles and expertise in the neighbouring tab "Participating Researchers" instead of in the programme.

Programme

  • Exploring Research Communication: Inputs by Participating Researchers
  • Discussing Research Communication: Panel Discussion with Participating Researchers
  • Post-It Session (see tab "Registration & ToDos") 

Please download the complete programme: PROGRAMME (updated)


We highly appreciate the engagement, many thanks for helping us:

Dr. Tito Gehring

Urban water management and environmental technology (RUB): research group on wastewater treatment processes and processes for methane production from waste and renewable resources, highly experienced in cooperating with researchers from other research fields and partners from outside academia.

Dr. des. Anika Soraya Meißner

German literature of the late Middle Ages (RUB): research on medieval literature with a special focus on narrative worlds of French and German heroic epics; initiator and founder of the public Podcast “Pergament und Mikrofon” also present on social media.

Dr. Philip Biessey

Responsible Process Engineering (RUB): research group on chemical recycling for a circular plastics economy; highly experienced in cooperating with researchers from other fields and partners from industry; 3 years own working experience in industry.

Dr. Daniel Siegmund

Inorganic Chemistry I (RUB), group Leader "Electrocatalysis" bei Fraunhofer UMSICHT is doing research in the field of electrolysis and electrochemical technology also with his own BMBF junior research group leader in the NanoMatFutur program; he is highly experienced in cooperating in interdisciplinary research teams and in disseminating and sharing research knowledge with non-academic partners.


We highly appreciate your participation in the complete programme. If you would like your participation in the Research Communication Day acknowledged for RS Certificate participation in the complete programme is needed.

Part of the programme will be a Post-It Session to get to know your projects beyond disciplinary boarders. Please fill in the following "Post-It" file by summing up your research project in 2-3 sentences comprehensible also for researchers who are not from your field. Please bring the filled and printed out Post-It to the Research Communication Day: DOWNLOAD "POST-IT" FILE

Please register online until 18. March 2024REGISTRATION


Reasons to join Research Communication Day by participating researchers in 2023

Research Day 2020: Communicating research beyond (disciplinary) borders, 13 February 2020

The event focussed on explaining research to an interdisciplinary community or to the general public. It supported the participants in understanding and reflecting how to communicate their research beyond their research field or even beyond academic borders. In a panel discussion experts and experienced researchers from RUB shared their experiences about why and how to communicate research to a wider community or public actors. In Mini-Workshops experts offered state-of-the-art and alternative formats supporting the participants to start working on strategies to communicate their research beyond borders: sketching a graphically recorded poster, gamestorming with e.g. Lego or Playmobil and developing an elevator pitch. The programme closed by a “Post-It” session to which the participants brought a Post-It summing up their research in one sentence. During the Post-It session they presented their research project to participants from completely different research fields. You can find the programme here

Research Day 2019: Requirements and Attitudes for a Successful Research Career, 28 February 2019

The morning programme addressed both: the most important factors for a research career and the personal attitudes that make researchers successful. The participants discussed with invited experts the established and distinct criteria for a research career and reflected their meaning and impact for appointment procedures of university chairs. The participants specially discussed with experienced Postdocs personal career attitudes and experiences. In the second part of the day the participants introduced and proposed their own research project in an interdisciplinary poster session with doctoral researchers from different research fields. In an interactive part at the end of the programme they reflected the question if, why and how to describe the meaning of their research related to broader societal questions. You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2017: Career factors for your research career and communication of your research beyond disciplinary borders, 9 November 2017

This event addressed the most important personal factors for a research career. Established postdocs shared their experiences and career strategies on developing individual research profiles, building research reputation, raising third-party funding, working on international visibility, developing teaching portfolios and shaping personal skills. They explained how they deal with personal challenges and decisions to build a successful research career. The participants could bring in their career knowledge in interactive parts and discussed their career perspectives. A plenary table on different career options in research closed the morning session. In the second part of the day the participants discussed their own research projects in an interdisciplinary setting. They started with poster sessions in interdisciplinary groups, followed by an expert input giving tips and strategies to explain research to non-experts and a practical exercise in re-designing posters to communicate their research to non-experts. You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2016: Academic Profile and Effective Communication, 14 November 2016

The first half of the day addressed postdoc career options by providing strategic information on how to start and consolidate a research postdoc career. The second half of the day has been dedicated to exchanging about the research projects of the participants within and beyond disciplinary boundaries and to analyzing the importance of communication in research. The first half of the day started with an expert input and interactive discussions about strategic issues and essential skills to become a successful independent researcher. Successful Postdocs shared their experiences and gave tips and recommendations on career building strategies. In the second part of the day an expert panel of experienced researchers of RUB discussed about the relevance of subject specific and non-subjects specific communication in research. Recent interdisciplinary graduate schools of the RUB exemplified how communication cross disciplines work and effects joint research projects. The day closed by interdisciplinary poster sessions supporting the participants to exchange with researchers from within their field and from very different research fields to start a dialogue cross disciplines. You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2015: International Aspects of an Academic Career, 19 November 2015

You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2014: Developing a successful profile for an academic career, 6 November 2014

You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2013: Research Takeway - Get tips and hints for a successful research career!

You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2012: Working in Research – Perspectives for Post-Docs, 21 November 2012

You can find the programme here.

Research Day 2011: InterDisciplinary Research, 10 November 2011

You can find the programme here.

During the first 4 years doctoral researchers from the three sections Humanities & Social Sciences, Life Sciences and Natural & Engineering Sciences organised a section day as a one-day research conference for each section. The programme combined lectures on recent research topics by experienced researchers with presentations of research projects of doctoral researchers. Encouraged by these experiences and the strong interest of the doctoral researchers in a scientific exchange beyond disciplinary borders the concept has been changed to organising a one-day meeting for doctoral researchers from all sections, transforming the "Section Days" into the “Research Day”.

Section Days 2010, 3-5 November 2010

Natural Sciences and Engineering: “Nanotechnology”
Life Sciences: “Communication”
Humanities and Social Sciences: “Borders – Conflicts - Innovations”

You can find the programme here.

Section Days 2009, November 4-6, 2009

Humanities and Social Sciences: “The Archaeology of Science and Knowledge”
Life Sciences: “The Art of Nature”
Natural Sciences and Engineering: “Functional Materials”

You can find the programme here.

Section Days 2008, 5-7 November 2008

Life Sciences: “Signal Transduction and its Medical Relevance”
Natural Sciences and Engineering: “Surface Science and Engineering”
Humanities and Social Sciences: “Narration/Mediation: The constitution of the ‘Self’ in interdisciplinary perspective”

You can find the programme here.

Section Days 2007, 5-7 November 2007

You can find the programme here.

Participant Feedback from 2023

"Die Mischung aus Input von erfahrenen Wissenschaftler*innen und der Möglichkeit, mit anderen Doktorand*innen ins Gespräch zu kommen, hat mir wirklich gut gefallen."

"I liked that there were people of different career stages and also professions in the panel discussions."

"I really liked the interactive session with other researchers…."

"Ein besonderer Aha-Effekt war die Erkenntnis, dass die Ähnlichkeit der Herausforderungen völlig unabhängig von der Forschungsdisziplin ist."

To let you know:

We offer the event in English to integrate all research areas and research languages on campus.

Your contact:

Dr. Ursula Justus