Having moderated a few events for us since we connected with her in the days of the ETH Pavilion in Davos, it was high time to put Magdalena Skipper in the limelight as our special guest in the ETH Global Lectures Series. The Editor-in-Chief of Nature joined Nicolas Gruber, Head of the Department of Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich, to explore how an ecosystem perspective can strengthen research in our times of geopolitical uncertainty, growing complexity and the advent of AI.

Drawing on her experience as one of the most influential voices in scientific publishing, Magdalena offered a compelling analogy. Just as healthy natural ecosystems depend on diversity and interaction, so too does science:

“There is no healthy ecosystem out there that is not diverse.”

Thus, diversity goes far beyond demographics. Universities, industry, funders, publishers, policymakers and civil society all play distinct but interconnected roles. Nicolas, whose own work focuses on ocean ecosystems and the climate, immediately connected with the idea:

“It’s the interaction between the elements where the resilience comes from.”

That interaction was a recurring theme throughout the evening. Both speakers stressed that the major challenges facing society, from climate change to health and technology, cannot be solved in isolation. Collaboration across disciplines, institutions and borders remains essential.

Trust in a Fragmented World

A particularly thought-provoking part of the discussion focused on trust. As Magdalena noted, we live at a time when misinformation is increasing and confidence in institutions is being challenged. Yet scientific advances continue to shape almost every aspect of our lives. How do we maintain trust in science? Part of the answer, she argued, lies in engagement. Rather than communicating from an “ivory tower”, researchers must bring society into the conversation and explain not only what science discovers, but how it works. One of my favourite moments came when the discussion turned to curiosity. Reflecting on ETH Zurich’s recent Scientifica festival, Nicolas spoke about watching children delight in scientific discovery:

“We have a deeply intrinsic level of curiosity in us.”

To which Magdalena responded:

“We’re all born as scientists.”

Keeping Humans in the Loop

It would not be a Global Lecture in 2026 without talking about AI… Nicolas expressed concern that if researchers increasingly turn to AI for answers, they may lose some of the conversations and collaborations that often spark new ideas.

Magdalena shared an example from the world of scientific publishing. When researchers were surveyed about AI-assisted peer review, some early-career scientists said they would welcome AI-generated feedback because it felt kinder than comments from human reviewers. The comment sparked a wider reflection on research culture and professionalism. For Magdalena, the key challenge is ensuring that researchers remain in control:

“Let’s engage with it and make it into a tool that will be useful to us, but we continue to be in the driving seat.”

“Most of the time, things fail.”

The final part of the conversation focused on a topic that clearly resonated with the audience, judging by the number of question cards submitted. Magdalena argued that failure is not an exception in research: it is how research works. Experiments lead to dead ends. Hypotheses prove wrong. Papers are corrected. Yet these experiences are rarely discussed openly. Nicolas echoed this point from the perspective of research integrity, arguing that acknowledging mistakes should be recognised as a sign of strength rather than weakness. If researchers become too afraid of failure, they stop taking risks. And without risk-taking, truly transformative discoveries become less likely.

As the discussion drew to a close, I was struck by how relevant Magdalena’s ecosystem analogy felt. Diversity creates resilience. Collaboration strengthens discovery. Trust enables progress. And failure, uncomfortable as it may be, is often the path to innovation.

The future of science will depend not only on individual breakthroughs, but on the strength of the ecosystem that makes those breakthroughs possible.

Check out the pictures from the event here: Meet ETH Flickr

And see the recording below:

I hope this glimpse encourages you to come to a future event. I find that with our Global Lecture Series, we begin a new journey every time, giving ourselves pause to reflect on key topics on the global agenda and learning from individuals with remarkable clarity and foresight. I invite you all to come and join us! The next event will be on 12 November on the Future of Universities, with WEF Founder Klaus Schwab and ETH Zurich’s Stefano Brusoni.

Science is not just about producing data in a white lab coat, it is also presenting your findings in a clear way to different audiences. Therefore, good communication skills are the Swiss army knife of a scientist. On the contrary, we don’t get these skills as a present on our 18^th birthday from our parents, instead, it is something to learn by trial and error. My intention is to share my journey and highlight the pros&cons of being a science communicator in academia through my eyes. 

I wanted to get out of the rabbit hole!

Doing a PhD in a certain topic requires you to be on top of the literature, knowing details by heart and recognizing important names in your field. Although these are all necessary to become an expert in a particular field, after some period of time, isolation kicks off. At least this happened to me during my PhD. Delving deeper into single neurons of fruit flies, I have started forgetting the fundamental topics in biology, I felt distant from nature and I found myself reading “my comfort-zone” literature only. Luckily, I had a new passion while going through these emotions, and that was photography!

As a biologist, I was always into insects, therefore I started learning macrophotography to turn invisible to visible. After a thousand reckless clicks, I finally made some progress and felt confident sharing my photos with a bigger audience on Instagram. I got almost zero interaction until I wrote a scientific caption to one of my photos. This caption was found entertaining by most of my friends and they encouraged me to step into my science communication (scicomm) journey without any knowledge or intention. From that day on, I have been creating scientific content on Instagram and TikTok and this has become the most rewarding experience of my academic life. Everyone should have their own way, mine is throwing an unusual photo to the audience and triggering their curiosity with a hook sentence. Throughout this article, you will see random photos I took throughout my journey. I am curious to see if you will understand what they are at the first sight.

What’s so cool about communicating science?

Freedom! I loved the way that I write, like talking to a friend but still being scientifically accurate! In academia, scientific writing class is taught where one learns how to write like a robot, without emotions, and jokes. You have to shrink a whole paragraph into a sentence and create a text that only a handful of experts can comprehend easily. Well, I am scientist enough to know the necessity of this for publishing and acknowledge this modern torture. However, you are free to be yourself, share your thoughts and ideas, be funny, sometimes silly, basically be yourself when you do scicomm on social media!

It is not a competition.

Although there are scicomm competitions that one can enrol, doing it on social media is not about being better than anyone! The important thing is being authentic and telling a story your own unique way, instead of copying what others are doing. There are hundreds ways to communicate your science. Pick yours! Once you find your own style, then there is nothing to worry about. Just keep providing your offerings to Instagram Angels for a good karmic algorithm and let time to do its magic. Social media will connect you with the right people sooner than you imagine.

It will bring you new opportunities

At the beginning of my journey in science communication, I had no idea of how vital our role would become. It wasn’t until the advent of COVID-19 that the world truly recognized our significance. During the pandemic, a surge of scientists felt the urge to communicate science accurately and combat the spread of fake news. It wasn’t just students; even seasoned professors delved into the world of social media. They created new accounts, crafted informative infographics, conducted live sessions. Instagram transformed into an educational platform, and science communicators began to receive well-deserved recognition.

Now, let me share a story about the remarkable scicommers I encountered during this period. Many of them evolved into stars. Some launched their businesses, while others became familiar faces on children’s TV programs. They found themselves invited to prestigious TV shows and sought after by major pharmaceutical companies, museums, and TV channels for documentary projects. In short, it was now possible to proudly declare oneself a science communicator and make a living from it.

As for my journey, Instagram paved the way for me to find the laboratory where I currently conduct my post-doctoral research. I started imparting my knowledge through various meetings and courses on science communication. I eventually become a project manager for a scicomm project generously funded by SNSF. Additionally, I began writing for a prominent Turkish national newspaper, allowing me to communicate science in my native language. I have no doubt that these experiences will lead to even greater achievements in the future!

Learning by teaching

In my earlier years, I was a dedicated student and discovered the profound impact of learning through teaching at a young age. Ever since, I help my friends to get ready for exams and some of the subjects I taught remained in my long-term memory. Engaging in science communication entails diving into a multitude of references, crafting a compelling narrative, and delivering your message in a various formats. No matter the platform, there is always a tremendous effort behind the scenes. It may seem like a significant workload (and indeed, it is), but it happens to be one of the most effective learning strategies I’ve ever encountered. So, as you educate others, you end up delving deeper into the subject yourself. It’s truly a win-win situation.

Make friends without borders

It’s truly fascinating how simple it is to connect with like-minded individuals on social media. Over time, these connections evolve into friendships, support groups form, and new collaborations flourish. That’s one of the most wonderful aspects of social media—you nurture relationships that extend into the real world. Occasionally, you might encounter fellow science communicators at the university, during conferences, or while traveling, leading to fruitful collaborations (I’ve experienced this many times!).

Of course there are some downsides of being active on social media. Let’s talk about the dark sides!

It will take your time

Time is a significant constraint. The continuous cycle of experiments, lab meetings, poster presentations, and conference talks can make academia incredibly demanding. This is why many scientists view science communication as a time and energy drain. They prefer to channel their efforts into their research projects, aiming to generate the maximum amount of data within their limited time. I hold deep respect for everyone’s perspective, and it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone is inclined towards science communication; it may not be suitable for everyone.

Be careful – It can get toxic

When it comes to social media, things can escalate quickly. Depending on the subject, you can attract individuals with varying opinions like a powerful magnet, and you might become entangled in endless discussions. You may encounter anti-vaxxers, creationists, animal rights activists, devoted followers of specific religions or ideologies. While it’s possible to block individuals to sidestep these disputes, my recommendation is to maintain a friendly tone, striving to be inclusive rather than confrontational.

Don’t let it ruin your performance and experiments

Sharing a scientist’s daily life can be captivating for the public, and many scientists often offer glimpses into their daily routines, allowing people to feel like they’re part of their journey. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it’s important to remember that laboratory work demands a high degree of seriousness and the establishment of certain boundaries. For instance, when working with hazardous chemicals, delicate glassware, and expensive equipment, a scientist should maintain absolute focus. Keeping a mobile phone nearby to create content can be highly disruptive, potentially leading to accidents. My recommendation is to keep your phone away during experiments and only share the most basic aspects of your lab life. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that social media can be quite addictive. If you find yourself caught in this web, I suggest setting time limits for yourself.

Social media is not so easy to handle

Not knowing the rules of the platform is akin to driving a car without a license. It can suck up your energy and time quickly. Also, you don’t want to boost your imposter syndrome by adding another disappointment. So, I recommend you to try a few platforms simultaneously and see which one you can build a network.

Which platform to pick?

Are you a twitter bird (or should I say X-men?) or a sciencefluencer on IG? What about Linkedin with your professional headshot? Maybe you like to be in front of a camera and tell what you know to the public on Youtube? There is no wrong or right platform, but audience changes completely.  

The first thing they teach in every scicomm lecture is: “Know your audience”. I don’t recall how many times I heard this, but this is still a GOLDEN advice. So I suggest you do your research in advance before jumping into this journey!