Dr Kasia Makowska - Press and Communications Officer

Academic Background: I did my BSc and MSc in Biotechnology at the University of Gdansk, Poland, and my PhD in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Leeds, where I was studying the process of metastasis in prostate cancer.

Can you tell us a little bit about your job role? I work as a press officer for the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), an independent research organisation that funds research and works with many different stakeholders towards advancing the 3Rs (replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research).

A large part of my job is writing news stories and press releases, and coordinating blogs for the NC3Rs website, often about work from our grant holders and from other researchers. I am the first point of contact for media enquiries, I monitor the media coverage of the NC3Rs. I also deal with public engagement (such as science festivals) and some social media activities.

What are the best parts of your job? One of the best things about my job is the fact that I get to work with a lot of researchers, from so many different fields. The 3Rs span across diverse areas, from mathematics and statistics, to studying animal behaviour, to non-animal models, organs-on-chips, tissue engineering and many others! Apart from working on stories, I get to take part in events and visit the researchers, either on lab visits or to support their public engagement activities – I learn something new almost every day and my work is never boring.

I also enjoy the atmosphere in the NC3Rs office and working as part of a team of experts where everyone is happy to help and answer my questions if need be. The NC3Rs team is relatively small (about 30 people), so is the Communications Team, which means I am able to work across a variety of different projects.

What are the worst parts of your job? I’m not sure if this is the worst part but definitely the most challenging aspect is the unpredictability. We occasionally get very last minute queries, or our work is covered by the media without much notice and you have to deal with it on the spot. But that’s what makes it interesting too!

I also occasionally miss the lab and getting my hands dirty. Spending a day in front of your desk, even if you’re working on the most interesting things, is less active than running around the lab doing hands-on science!

What advice would you give to postdocs looking to get a similar role? I think it’s good to get into science communication as a hobby first, be it tweeting, blogging, science writing competitions (if you’re more into the written form) or science festivals (i.e. Pint of Science) and talent shows such as Fame Lab (if you’re more interested in the spoken/informal forms). If you’re thinking of transitioning from a postdoc, this will look good as additional experience on your CV and you’ll be able to tell whether you enjoy it.

If it is a press officer role specifically that you’re after and you’d like to find out more, get in touch with your institutions’ press office, they might shed more light on their day-to-day work.