Communication

The ability to effectively communicate your research to a variety of audiences is an essential professional skill. From building healthy writing habits to preparing for conferences to dissertation writing retreats, OPD helps students and postdocs improve their writing and presenting skills through a variety of programs offered throughout the year.

Check out our upcoming communication workshops!

Elroy Aguiar

"I see myself as a successful researcher, but if I didn't develop complementary skills—if I couldn't lead, present, or write—I wouldn't have the tools to effectively communicate what I'm researching. I have attended many OPD workshops and have benefited greatly. I have also encouraged graduate students in our lab, department, and across campus to consider both their professional and academic development; these two things go hand-in-hand to ensure success in securing the right job and excelling in your career."
– Elroy Aguiar, PhD (Former Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate, Kinesiology)

Additional Resources

Graduate students and postdocs may access many other support systems to improve their communication skills.

  • The UMass Amherst Writing Center offers face-to-face and online consultations to help graduate students and postdocs clarify ideas, reorganize text, set writing goals and build productive writing practices.
  • The Public Engagement Project organizes events to help researchers contribute to social change, inform public policy, and enrich public debate.
  • The UMass Amherst science community challenges researchers to make their work accessible to a wide range of audiences through the Life Science Café and That’s Life [Science] blog.

Questions?

opd [at] grad [dot] umass [dot] edu (Contact us for more information) on OPD’s communication workshops and assistance.