Researcher Live - Letter from the Editor

Hello there - I’m Dr Kristine Lennie and I’m the Managing Editor of Researcher Live. This is just a quick introduction to tell you who I am and what I’ll be doing here at Researcher. 

Researcher Live is a relatively new feature of the Researcher’s website and app - it’s a space where researchers can present their work and connect to academics with similar interests from across the globe. You may have heard of Researcher Live already - and attended some of our events, ranging from strictly scientific topics to sessions on helping early career researchers, or even journal introductions. It’s an exciting tool that every academic, regardless of their experience, should keep in their pocket. 

How do we select and organise our events? Well, this is where I come in. My goal is to create a rewarding and inspiring Researcher Live experience for listeners and speakers, alike. 

This is important for me for several reasons - my background is mostly academic. I recently finished my PhD in Plant Biology (a cross-disciplinary project with Mathematics) at Durham University. During my PhD course, I gained in-depth experience of the world of academia, publishing three papers along the way. But when I wasn’t doing research, I was involved in a variety of side projects that kept me active. One year I was the editor of my college’s magazine, then I briefly interned as a content writer, and during the last 2 years of my degree, I was a scholar for the Global Citizenship Programme (an undertaking that promotes science communication). Research and the activities I was involved with alongside it, were ultimately what showed me that my heart was in the communication of science. In a way, academia cultivated my love for science and the pursuit of knowledge, while my extra-curricular activities gave me the opportunity to practise what I love and engage with science communication for academics and the public.

Now I’m the Managing Editor of Researcher Live. In a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario, this role has allowed me to stay connected to academia, while also letting me utilise my more creative skills to spotlight the science that is changing the world. During my time as a student, I became acutely aware that collaboration and critical discussion are the foundations of solving the complex problems of our time – and that is given access to the right data or the right paper at the right time could change the course of your work. So, Researcher’s mission aligns perfectly with my own – giving researchers across the world the tools to source information quickly and efficiently, as well as helping them connect and exchange ideas and feedback.

As a Managing Editor of Researcher Live, I’m excited to make this platform an inseparable part of every academic journey. Online events are simple and easy to attend from every place in the world (and if not, recordings are available later), making it an excellent way to remove barriers in communicating science and boost the exchange of knowledge.

My goals (in short) are as follows:

• Enhance academic collaboration and create discussion.
• Make the research process easier and more efficient for busy academics with multiple commitments on their plate.
• Enrich and aid the experience of younger researchers, help their ideas be heard and allow for an easier process of integration into the academic environment.
• Connect our users with industries, institutions, publishers, and anyone else involved in the research community.

If you want to host a Live event with us, email me at kristine.lennie@researcher-app.com

I look forward to working with you and helping you promote your research