Public Engagement at Cambridge: why, who and why again! (part of the Open Research at Cambridge Conference series)

Special

Introduction to Public Engagement at Cambridge: Why do you want to engage, who do you want to engage with and why should they care? It’s only once researchers have considered these questions do we talk about what they would like to do. Join us to find out how we support public engagement across the University from activity that inspires to coproduced research with global impact.

Dr Lucinda Spokes Head of Public Engagement Office of External Affairs and Communications University of Cambridge:

Lucinda studied Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, moving to the University of East Anglia for her PhD and post-doctoral research on the impact of human activity on our oceans, conducting fieldwork across the world, on land and at sea.

During this time, Lucinda developed a real enthusiasm for sharing research more widely. She moved into science outreach as part of an EU funded education project and then to the education charity STEM Team East. As part of this role, she developed activities for the University of Cambridge Science Festival. This led to a position in the Public Engagement Team at the University of Cambridge managing the Science Festival. After eight fabulous festivals, Lucinda now heads up the Public Engagement Team. Working with the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and the Public Engagement Advisory Group, she is responsible for developing and delivering the public engagement strategy for Cambridge. She oversees the new interdisciplinary Cambridge Festival (festival.cam.ac.uk) and supports researchers and the public to engage collaboratively, effectively and enjoyably with each other, sharing information, ideas and inspiration