Association of British Science Writers

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an international research organization that conducts policy-oriented research into problems that are too large or too complex to be solved by a single country or academic discipline. The Web Writer will report to the Head of Communications, and will be responsible for conceiving, writing, and editing content for IIASA’s Web site.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:
• Plan, edit, write, and proof read content for IIASA’s Web
• Play an integral role in the redesign of IIASA’s Web site by renewing and evolving content in both the corporate and scientific sections of the Web site. Content ranges from short descriptions of IIASA’s research, to feature articles that demonstrate the impact and relevance of IIASA’s research to our key audiences.
• Develop innovative ways to communicate IIASA and its research and associated activities through the web such as via social network sites or using multimedia content.
• Write, edit and revise material about IIASA and its research for other outlets, including press releases, magazine articles and features, and op-ed articles.
• Contribute to the maintenance of all online media managed by the Communication Department.

Qualifications and Experience:

Essential:
• Degree or comparable experience in science, journalism, marketing, public relations.
• Min. five years work experience in journalism or press and public information, in the area of writing, editing, and communication for Web sites.
• Ability to write in a variety of formats and styles for multiple audiences.
• Proven ability to present complex information, preferably scientific, to a non-specialist audience.
• Mother tongue English with excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a member of a team and to maintain professional and productive relationships with scientists and staff from diverse nationalities.
• Strong organizational skills & the ability to handle multiple assignments while meeting deadlines.
• Good knowledge of MS Office and standard Internet tools.

Advantageous:
• Experience of HTML, Dreamweaver, and Web content management systems.
• Working knowledge of German.
• Experience of using multimedia and social networking tools.

For information about IIASA please go to www.iiasa.ac.at.

Communications Manager

The European Food Information Council, EUFIC, is a non-profit organisation providing science-based information on nutrition and health, food safety and quality, to health and nutrition professionals, educators, and the media, in a manner that promotes consumer understanding.

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Communications Manager, ideally with a scientific background. This high profile position is a crucial central role in EUFIC, supporting EUFIC project managers (mostly PhD scientists), and reporting to the Director General.

EUFIC is a membership based association, but is not an advocacy association. EUFIC receives funding from companies of the European food and drinks industries, and from the European Commission on a project basis.
Responsibilities:

• Maintain and develop further EUFIC’s external communication tools, such as the websites www.eufic.org (in 11 languages and averaging 0.5 million visit sessions per month), podcasts and webinars with scientists and opinion leaders
• Develop strategic communications plan as part of the overall EUFIC Plan and Vision
• Manage Communications budget
• Manage the production of internal communications to Member companies, such as the quarterly reports, and Annual Review, with support from EUFIC staff, and EUFIC Extranet for Members
• For each EUFIC project, work with the EUFIC project manager to develop and implement an appropriate communication plan.
• Accountable for and deliver EUFIC communication and dissemination commitments to EU-financed research projects, on time and within budget
• Recruit, manage and develop appropriate interns to support delivery of communication work plans
• Develop and manage contact with journalists; develop relationships, produce and disseminate press releases as required; develop EUFIC’s on-line media guide and expert database for media contact
• Represent EUFIC at certain meetings, Stakeholder platforms, EU Institutions, as appropriate

The Profile

• University degree in a relevant field and minimum 5 years working experience in communications.
• Ideally a science background, or further qualification in science communication
• Strategic and creative thinker, with knowledge of developing, implementing and evaluating communication activities
• Excellent verbal, writing and editing skills, with English mother tongue (or full proficiency), plus another European language
• Excellent understanding of new communications media and social media/networking sites
• Enthusiastic to learn about food-related issues
• Strong team player, and willingness to work in a small, committed and dynamic team

Location: Brussels
EUFIC offers a competitive salary, and the opportunity to work in an intellectually stimulating environment.

Start Date: From April 1st

To apply, please send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , a cv, with covering letter that describes your experience, current salary, and skills to address the specific activities listed, and what you could contribute to EUFIC going forward, before March 15th.

The Royal Statistical Society Awards for statistical excellence in journalism are now in their fourth year. The 2010 awards will recognise work published or broadcast in the period 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009.

The society says that the award "Awards are made to those who question, analyse and investigate the issues that affect society through statistics".

There are two categories:

• work published in print and/or online (a winner and a runner-up areawarded)
• for work broadcast on television or radio (a winner only is awarded)

Entries have to be in by 5pm on Friday, 26 February 2010.

Previous winners have included; Peter Aldhous, New Scientist, Ben Goldacre, The Guardian and Paul Wallace, The Economist.

The website is silent on the value of the awards beyond showing a piece of glass.

 

 

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) has launched an awards programme "to honor journalists for exceptional coverage of genetics research".

The GSA Excellence in Research Journalism Award is for coverage of basic genetic research, "including studies of model organisms that link to human biology".The rules say:

"Nominees do not have to be science beat journalists, but the piece submitted must be original reporting on research that employs non-human model organisms such as fruit flies (Drosophila), roundworms (C.elegans), mice, yeast, fungi, or other organisms. Articles on human genetics testing or disease risk will not be considered. Print, including online print, radio, and TV pieces printed or broadcast in 2009 are eligible for entry."

For award details, read the entry guidelines and information, evaluation guidelines, and entry form (pdf file).

The press release on the awards (pdf file) says that "International entries will be accepted, but all entries must be in English and produced for the first time during the 2009 calendar year. There is no fee or limit to the number of entries that may be submitted."

The deadline for submissions is Monday 1 March 2010.

 

This award recognises journalists who have covered major European issues or promoted a better understanding of the EU institutions and/or EU policies. Individuals or teams of up to 5 people are eligible to participate with articles or reports. The contributions must have been published or broadcast between 1 May 2009 and 31 March 2010 in one of the official languages of the European Union. All participants must be nationals or residents of an EU Member State and registered journalists.
Categories include: The prize will be awarded in four different categories: written press, radio, TV and internet. The winner in each category will receive €5,000.

Deadline: 31/03/10

 

Washington Post Summer Job 2010
The Laurence Stern Fellowship

Journalists are invited to apply for the 31st Laurence Stern Fellowship. The winner will be chosen by a senior editor from the Washington Post to work on the paper’s National Desk in Washington for three months this summer. He or she will be paid a salary by the Post, and the air fare, together with a modest sum for travel in the US, will be provided by the Fellowship.

Applications will be considered from any journalists, whether they work in print, radio, television or the web, in London or elsewhere in Britain. Though no one will be barred on grounds of age, the intention is to appoint a young journalist who has experience of important national stories and has substantial cuttings of such stories. The successful candidate must be capable of making himself or herself useful to the Post’s national desk. Broadcast journalists need to have enough print experience to convince the panel of their ability to perform in a demanding print newsroom.

You should submit:

* a CV
* two references, at least one from a present or former editor or producer
* no more than three recent samples of your work

Television or radio journalists may submit scripts or cite examples of your recent achievements. You must obtain the references and submit them with your application.

* Application deadline: 5pm on Friday 5 March 2010
* Candidates to be interviewed will be chosen by a panel of the sponsors soon after the closing date
* Those shortlisted will be interviewed at City University London during March
* The fellowship will start in July 2010

The application should be sent, on paper only, not by email, to:
Anna McKane
Laurence Stern Fellowship
Department of Journalism
City University London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB

Queries by email only please: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Nature’s science careers section, Naturejobs, is seeking a part-time Europe-based retained correspondent to contribute news and feature stories. Candidates should have at least three years experience writing and reporting about science, science policy, higher education and/or non-traditional science careers. He or she should have an eye for European science-policy-related career stories and an aptitude for service journalism that offers practical guidance on job-seeking, grants, publication, and other career issues.

Some science education (bachelor degree or higher) is preferred. Journalism training (masters degree or higher) is also a plus. The writer will contribute at least 12,000 words of copy over the course of the year, and will be paid an annual retainer fee, in addition to payments for each story (which will be based on an agreed-upon per-word rate).

Please send cover letter, resume, and 3-4 clips to Gene Russo at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please write “retained correspondent” in the subject line.

 

Euroscience has announced the details of its media awards for 2010.

There are four categories:

• The Euroscience Stiftung Young Journalists Award
• The Euroscience Stiftung Lifetime Journalism Award
• The Johnson and Johnson Award for R&D/Science TV journalism
• The AlphaGalileo Award for Research Public Relations

The closing date for the competitive awards – television and public relations – is 31 March 2010.

The journalism awards are presented "following consultations within the research and journalism communities". But the TV and PR awards are competitive. So start preparing your submissions now.

The rules say:

 

Work produced in the period 1 April 2009 till 30 March 2010 is eligible unless previously submitted to these awards.

 

There are links to entry forms on the awards site.

The winner of both awards receives a prize of €5,000. The Public Relations award also includes a Galileo statue. The 2010 presentation will take place at the Euroscience Open Forum 2010 (ESOF 2010) at Torino in July 2010.

Euroscience describes itself as "Europe's grassroots body. It represents anyone with an interest in European research whether they are a researcher or not."

 

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Research Building, Headington, Oxford

We are looking for a temporary scientific communications manager to provide cover for an absent member of staff. The main responsibilities of the position will be in the area of scientific writing including:

• Manuscript preparation and submission
• Proof reading scientific documents
• Grant writing and submission

The role will involve working from drafts or dictated documents with direction from the director or group leaders. We are able to be flexible regarding the number of hours.

The post will be offered for 8 weeks in the first instance and will be reviewed after this period.

• The ideal candidate will have the following experience:
• A doctorate in life sciences or medicine.
• Highly developed and proven writing skills
• Editorial or scientific writing experience.
• An excellent knowledge of scientific publication methodologies.
• A good knowledge of scientific peer-review journals.
• Highly computer literate (Word / Powerpoint)
• The ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

Also desirable but not essential:

• Experience of working in a laboratory
• Knowledge of the molecular basis of cancer
• Detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind tumourgenesis.

To apply or for further details please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a copy of your CV.

www.ludwig.ox.ac.uk

“What are the most important challenges in the field of health, conflict and peace today? How should they be addressed?”

This prize is open to students from all backgrounds.
Word limit is 2500 words
The prize will be awarded to the essay that provides the most effective analysis of an issue or issues AND the most persuasive ideas regarding what to do about them.

All entries must be received by 20th September 2010