Science communication and the role of young researchers in times of crisis

Vice-Rector Mireille van Poppel opened the Doctoral Academy Day. Photo: Uni Graz/Angele

What is the best way to communicate your own research? And are researchers allowed to engage in activism? These were the questions the participants asked themselves of this year's Doctoral Academy Day.

Climate change, pandemics and political crises - recent years have shown how important scientifically sound information is for everyday life. This increases the pressure on researchers to share their findings outside their own community. On November 23, the Doctoral Academy invited PhD researchers, Master's students and their supervisors to Unicorn to discuss this role as mediators.

"Our research provides answers and solutions to important questions about the future. If we don't communicate them, these questions will be answered by others who may pursue negative interests," emphasizes Lydia Lienhart, doctoral candidate at the Wegener Center at the University of Graz. She runs a YouTube channel in which she explains the economic aspects of climate change, such as the CO2 tax.

The aim of the annual Doctoral Academy Day is to create a platform for exchange and discussion for young scientists. Anyone interested in a career in science should take a look at the Doctoral Academy website.

Michael Angele

Related news

Long Night of Research: How many languages are there in the world?

From a linguistic perspective, there are worlds of difference between Bern, Berlin and Vienna. A dialect impersonator will demonstrate live just how varied German can sound. How many languages are there in the world? What are their distinctive features? Which of these are spoken in Austria? These and other questions will be answered during the Long Night of Research at the University of Graz: on Friday, 24 April 2025, from 5 pm to 11 pm, in the University Library. Visitors can immerse themselves in the diversity of languages without travelling far by taking part in a quiz at the station.

Dual role: Researchers show that platelets can worsen disease

Platelets are best known as rapid responders in the event of injury. They stop bleeding and are indispensable for wound healing. “However, thrombocytes can also aggravate diseases, especially when inflammatory processes are involved,” explains Marion Mußbacher, a pharmacist at the University of Graz. She investigated the “dual role” of platelets in relation to fatty liver disease, a condition closely linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Forscher:innen entdecken natürlichen Wirkstoff zum Schutz vor Lebererkrankungen

Die Leber leidet still. „Fetteinlagerungen, strukturelle Zerstörung des Gewebes oder mutierende Tumorzellen – all das fliegt eine Weile unter dem Radar. Begleitet werden diese Veränderungen oft von leichten, jedoch chronischen Entzündungen“, erklärt Andreas Koeberle, Pharmazeut an der Universität Graz. Er hat mit seinem Team und Kolleg:innen der Universität Innsbruck den Wirkstoff Mitrephoron B untersucht, der neue Behandlungsansätze ermöglicht. Die Ergebnisse der Studie wurden kürzlich in der Open-Access-Fachzeitschrift „Theranostics“ veröffentlicht.

Climate at the cliffs: Researchers unravel the evolution of the Greenland ice margin

Vertical ice walls, up to 40 metres high: in "Game of Thrones" they were dramatised as fortifications; during the Cold War, they were studied with great interest. How these imposing walls along Greenland’s 80,000-kilometre-long ice margin formed, how they are evolving, and what impact they have on the climate is not yet fully understood. Researchers from the Universities of Graz and Innsbruck have come one step closer to solving the mystery. The results of their latest study have been published in the journal The Cryosphere.