We are pleased to announce that due to the popularity of our Media and Communications Training Courses, the Clean Air Champions are running a second one in 2025, dedicated to empowering individuals in their advocacy for clean air.

The course is designed to equip Early Career Researchers with inside knowledge and the best tools to get their research or project noticed, including an opportunity to write a news piece or podcast and have it reviewed. The course will focus on the specific challenges and opportunities to communicate air pollution research and will include a session with professional journalists with a guest presentation by the Guardian’s Damian Carrington. It will take place during September and comprise four online sessions.

Objectives:

  • Provide training that compliments the courses and resources provided by each person’s home university.
  • Help our researchers to understand the media and to interface with journalists.
  • To equip our researchers to have their own voice and the skills to write and talk about their work for a lay audience.

Please note that participants will be expected to attend all four sessions of the course and produce a written piece or podcast to be reviewed in session 4.

To streamline the application process, we ask candidates to confirm the following in their application email:

  • Which SPF project you are working with or were associated with.
  • You are an Early Career Researcher (IE with less than 8 years postdoctoral experience)
  • You are available for all four modules: 14:00 29th September, 10:00 30th September, 10:00 13th October, 10:00 27th October.

Apply by emailing us at: contact@ukcleanair.org to reserve your space.

Places are limited so apply early.

Feedback from last year’s attendees:

“It gave me an overview of what to expect from a media interaction and how to approach it. By speaking openly and honestly about the experience, it made it less intimidating and more exciting of an opportunity.”

I gained a lot from this course. More than what I came to gain from it. I feel I have everything needed to help with future media pieces.
Also, I think my writing has actually improved because of it.

“My aim was to gain new skills to communicate my research effectively to the public. This has provided me with the confidence and a well-needed nudge to start disseminating my own research and also to pitch articles on environmental issues that I am passionate about.”

“It brought things to life in practical tangible way, making the idea of engaging with media more within reach as something that must be done rather than not considered.”

“It gave me an overview of what to expect from a media interaction and how to approach it. By speaking openly and honestly about the experience, it made it less intimidating and more exciting of an opportunity.”

“Day 2’s ‘change your order’ really landed with me, and helped me to influence other scientists to write in a different way.”

Back to all