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Wendy
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Science Communicator
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Who do you work for?
CSIRO Livestock Industries and my own freelance business.
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What does your job involve?
Interviewing scientists about their research and converting that information into easy to read reports, fact sheets and articles for popular science magazines. I usually do a lot of background reading for an interview, and I’m constantly reading science magazines and books (usually fiction) to keep up to date with scientific advances and improve my vocabulary and writing skills/style.
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What do you like most about your job?
Meeting new people - many of whom are high achievers and have amazing stories to tell about their research and other aspects of their life, travelling, learning new things all the time. I enjoy the fact that I am able to combine my love of writing with my scientific training.
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What are the perks of your job?
Meeting new people, travelling, learning new things and working from home (no peak hour commuting).
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What is the most unusual or fun thing you’ve done in your job?
Spending a week digging up a dinosaur in outback Queensland with a bunch of other volunteers and Queensland Museum paleontologists, and being interviewed by National Geographic.
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What inspired you to choose a career in this area?
A love of writing (and seeing my name in print).
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How did you get to where you are now?
I completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours in microbiology, and a PhD in medicine, then spent two years working in malaria research and as a forensic scientist. I then decided research wasn’t for me and enrolled in a Graduate Diploma in journalism. I freelanced for 4 years and worked as associated editor of CSIRO’s Ecos magazine. Now I’m writing a report on the research activities of CSIRO Livestock Industries and doing a bit of freelance work on the side.
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Who or what has been an inspiration to you?
The people I interview and other freelancers who can make a living from their writing.
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What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
“Work at what you love” and “luck is when preparation meets opportunity”.
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What training/qualifications do you have/need?
A science background makes it easier to ask the right questions and understand the answers. Training in how to write for newspapers and magazines is also important if you want to make money freelancing. For corporate communication, a degree in communication and sometimes science is necessary. Self-motivation and resilience are important personal traits.
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What subjects did you study at school?
Biology, Chemistry, Maths, English, Art, Speech and Drama
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What are your career goals/plans for the future?
I have visions of travelling around the world with my laptop, writing stories and taking photos for National Geographic. But at the moment I’m just happy doing what I do now.
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What career opportunities are there for people in your field?
Freelancers have to make their own opportunities, but if you work hard and network, there are many and varied job opportunities. Jobs for science communicators at universities, and with government organisations or industry appear fairly regularly.
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What is the average starting salary for a graduate?
$35-45K
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