Upcoming events

Zoe Trinder-Widdess - Writing for a lay audience  

CAT Seminar Tuesday 13^th May 4.00-5.30 G12 Ground floor Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road BS82PS or via Teams link

Followed by pizza and socialising.

Writing accessibly for a lay audience is becoming more and more important for health research and clinical professionals. But it’s an art that many find challenging. This one-hour course will teach you the fundamentals of writing in plain language, including:

• Thinking about your reader and what you want them to take away
• How to avoid ‘academic-ese’
• Tackling jargon and acronyms
• Using active, engaging language

About the trainer

This course is taught by Zoe Trinder-Widdess, Head of Communications at NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West and the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Zoe is a communications professional with a strong track record of working in several sectors, including charity, public sector and business-to-business. She has been working at the intersection of health and research for the last 12 years.

Previous events 

Prof. Marcus Munafo - Scientific Ecosystems and Research Quality

CAT seminar Tuesday 11^th February, 4.30-5.30 (followed by pizza and social chat) room LG09, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, BS8 2PS 

There have been concerns raised in recent year about the quality of research produced in the biomedical sciences and beyond. I will explore the extent to which evidence supports these concerns, and how the environment and culture within which research is conducted may drive the quality of research produced. This will include a focus on different ways of working that could potentially improve quality whilst also supporting a positive culture.

Marcus Munafò is Professor of Biological Psychology and Medical Research Council Investigator at the University of Bristol, where he is also Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Research Culture. He also has a long-standing interest in the factors that influence research quality. He is Chair of the UK Medical Research Council Neurosciences and Mental Health Board, the CHDI Independent Statistical Standing Committee (https://chdifoundation.org/independent-statistical-standing-committee/), and the UK Reproducibility Network (www.ukrn.org) Supervisory Board, which he co-founded in 2019. There are now similar Reproducibility Networks in over 20 countries and regions (https://www.ukrn.org/global-networks/). In May 2025 he will take up the position of Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost at the University of Bath.