Maggie MacLellan

What’s the most complex structure in the human body? The brain! Every day, brain (neuroscience) researchers at universities and institutes all around the world are trying to solve the brain’s mysteries. This includes understanding what makes a healthy brain and learning what goes wrong when a brain becomes diseased. Researching the brain is very complex. My role is to make this research easy to understand for those who don’t study the brain. These are people like journalists or people affected by brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It can also include policy makers in government and anyone else interested in this type of research.

My day-to-day activities usually involve writing articles, creating content for social media and planning events. A large part of these tasks involves science, technology and math. Being able to communicate about complex brain research requires an understanding of biology. I interview researchers about their research. I then develop that information into content for a general audience.

Not only does transferring complex brain research into engaging ideas for websites and social media posts require an understanding of biology, it also requires an understanding of technology. I use programs like Adobe Photoshop to create and edit visual content that can be used on social media. While math isn’t a large part of my job, I have been responsible for overseeing and forecasting a budget. This involves having a basic understanding of math. Overall, a job in communications includes solving problems and thinking strategically. It’s a fast-paced job where tasks and roles vary by sector and experience.