Our latest blog in this series features Erin\u00a0Pallott,\u00a0Project Lead of the science communication platform Research Hive. Erin was a winner in the\u00a0Individual category at the 2025 PPIE Awards.<\/i>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Early-career researchers (ECRs) often face barriers to meaningful public engagement due to limited training, few practical opportunities, and uncertainty about how to communicate across disciplines and reach diverse audiences.\u00a0Recognising this, Erin\u00a0Pallott\u00a0took leadership of the\u00a0Research Hive<\/a>\u00a0blog in January 2023 and transformed it into an international project that\u00a0helps ECRs\u00a0build\u00a0public engagement and written communication skills\u00a0while\u00a0sharing their research with\u00a0diverse\u00a0audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n The blog provides an accessible starting point for ECRs\u2014undergraduates, postgraduate researchers, and post-doctoral research assistants\/associates\u2014to begin their public engagement journeys.\u00a0Erin\u00a0has\u00a0used the Research Hive to:\u00a0<\/p>\n Working\u00a0with\u00a0contributors across the University and beyond, Erin has\u00a0also\u00a0developed\u00a0training guides and delivered a workshop\u00a0on the\u00a0value of engaging science writing, titled\u00a0\u201cHow to Blog to Get Yourself Seen.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0A post-workshop\u00a0feedback survey revealed that\u00a0all attendees would consider submitting their own content to the Research Hive blog,\u00a0demonstrating the platform\u2019s success in motivating researchers to engage wider audiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n Erin Pallot at FameLab 2025. Photo credit: Still Moving Media.<\/p><\/div>\n In just two years, the Research Hive team has grown from\u00a0six\u00a0postgraduate researchers in the\u00a0Faculty\u00a0to a volunteer team of 20 across four countries. Erin has\u00a0actively\u00a0recruited a wider team of\u00a0writers\u00a0by promoting opportunities to those who may face barriers, such as language. Survey data from the last 12 months shows that 75% of Hive contributors speak English as an\u00a0additional\u00a0language, while 80% are\u00a0from\u00a0outside the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond the Hive, Erin\u00a0is also a regular participant of\u00a0FameLab<\/a>,\u00a0Pint of Science<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0A Scientist<\/a>. She is a highly active scientist and is estimated to have reached over 1,200 school students\u00a0via the\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0A Scientist platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Additional\u00a0information:\u00a0<\/p>\n To find out more about PPIE: watch our\u202fshort film<\/a>, sign up to the monthly\u202fPublic Engagement Digest<\/a>, visit the\u202fPPIE blog<\/a>, or contact\u00a0srbmh@manchester.ac.uk<\/a>.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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