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Imperial’s Engagement Academy has concluded its eighth year, marking the occasion on the 22 April with a celebration of this year’s cohort.

The fourteen participants came together with their managers and members of the Public and Community Engagement team and Science Communication Unit  to raise a glass to their achievements and their newly developed engagement initiatives.

This celebration is the conclusion of a programme that spanned from October 2025 to April 2026, involving seven full-day sessions that balanced both the practical and intellectual components of societal engagement. Participants took part in over 40 hours of training, worked with mentors and buddy groups, heard from 18 guest speakers, visited a museum, created their own mini exhibitions, toured Imperial’s Invention Rooms and developed their practice through poetry and podcasting masterclasses.

Open to all staff across the university, the Engagement Academy fosters a community where societal engagement is an integral, supported and valued part of their work. Laura Barclay, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Coordinator and Engagement Academy participant said, “The Engagement Academy pushed me to design engagement activities with empathy first and foremost. It challenged my assumptions about my audience, teaching me to create activities with clearer, audience-specific goals.”

The programme is jointly delivered by Imperial’s Science Communication Unit and Public and Community Engagement Team and is externally accredited by the . Participants are challenged to experiment with ideas, reflect on their experience and build confidence.

I am walking away with tangible insights and a stronger ability to create moments of engagement which lead to real impact. Laura Barclay Engagement Academy 2025-26 participant

Professor Maggie Dallman, Associate Provost (Societal Engagement), opened the celebration by highlighting the new Centre of Societal Engagement as one of the pillars of Imperial’s Science for Humanity strategy, adding, “Research delivers its fullest value when engagement stands alongside the science.” Charlotte Coales, Engagement Manager and co-facilitator of the Engagement Academy, reinforces that sentiment, “The participants’ ongoing dedication and commitment will help us to embed Societal Engagement into every aspect of Imperial’s work.”

At the celebration, each of the participants had the opportunity to present on the public engagement activities they had been developing, giving attendees a flavour of how the Academy can translate research into real-world impact.

The showcase highlighted a rich mix of projects: Demi Corr (Marketing, Outreach, Recruitment and Admissions) outlined an outreach initiative aimed at demystifying scholarships and inspiring applicants; Dr Jing Fu (Department of Bioengineering) proposed a primary-school science day exploring microbes, food and sustainability; Sam Brzezicki (Department of Mathematics), shared a playful mathematical analysis of ‘The Traitors’ as an interactive engagement activity; and Lasse Havgaard Nyhegn (National Heart & Lung Institute) presented a board game designed to help young ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ understand life with a chronic disease.

Sam Brzezicki, Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, reflects on his experience in the 2025-26 programme: “The Engagement Academy was incredible, I learnt so much about how to connect the public with maths and also discovered how the new Centre of Societal Engagement at Imperial can support me to deliver truly impactful activities.”

At the ceremony, Academy participants were awarded certificates of completion and the celebration came to an end with networking over cake and refreshments. Dr Felicity Mellor, Director of the Science Communication Unit, closed the event by saying, “Amid an abundance of public discourse, taking science beyond the university and engaging with the public is vital to underpinning democracy.”

Are you looking to increase public engagement with research? Whether that be your own research or the research of others, the Engagement Academy will equip you with the skills you need. Explore the Engagement Academy webpage for more information and subscribe to the Societal Engagement newsletter to be notified when applications for 2026-27 open in August 2026. For further development opportunities, you can also explore our Engagement Masterclasses.