Welcome to Research Unravelled - a podcast exploring the impactful world of research communications.
We'll be digging into the complexity that lies at the heart of this field and hearing from expert practitioners about how they navigate or unravel that complexity.
Research Unravelled is hosted by Peter Barker and brought to you by Orinoco Communications - the creative agency where we specialise in helping research organisations to tell their stories and give their research the reach it deserves.
In addition to his monthly conversations with experts Peter will also be joined by colleague and co-host, Bianca Winter, for bonus episodes where they will respond to listeners' comments and questions and discuss the latest news from the world of research comms.
Clara Zabludowsky | Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA)
How do you communicate the value of research that is designed to fail? When does the language you use become part of your communications strategy? And what is the cost of waiting until you have the full picture before you speak?
In this episode of Research Unravelled, Peter is joined by Clara Zabludowsky — Chief Communications and Engagement Officer at ARIA, the UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency — who talks about the challenge of building a comms team around a model that prizes bold, long-shot research over safe, predictable results.
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com (https://www.orinococomms.com) | Contact me at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod)
12 Mar 2026
Henrietta Hopkins and Jay Stone | Citizens' Juries
How do you gather genuine public opinion on one of the most emotionally charged topics in recent political debate?
What does it take to present contested evidence to a jury of citizens in a fair and balanced way?
And how do you explain a robust but unfamiliar research method to journalists on deadline?
In this episode, Jay Stone (Nuffield Council on Bioethics) and Henrietta Hopkins (Hopkins Van Mill) talk about the 2024 citizens' jury on assisted dying and what it taught them about communicating complex public evidence at exactly the right moment.
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com (https://www.orinococomms.com) | Contact me at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod)
12 Feb 2026
Nick Peel | Wellcome Trust
Why doesn't merely explaining problems lead to action? Why is it more effective to tell a narrow story than a broad one? Is perfectionism killing your content?
In this first episode of the new series of Research Unravelled Peter is joined by guest Nick Peel - the digital content and social media lead at Wellcome Trust - who talks about the work that he and his team are doing to share the organisation's stories online.
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com (https://www.orinococomms.com) | Contact me at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod)
30 Jun 2025
Sarah Carter-Bell | Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament
Sarah Carter-Bell from UK Parliament's Knowledge Exchange Unit discusses facilitating the sharing of ideas between academia and parliament in an interview with Peter, offering insights for researchers aiming to inform policy makers.
29 May 2025
Alexander Buxton | University of Oxford
Alexander Buxton from the University of Oxford discusses the importance of research communications for universities and aligning these efforts with strategic objectives in an interview with Peter.
30 Apr 2025
Helen Jamison & Claire Bithell | CROSPO Report
In 2022 the Science Media Centre published an insightful report on the changing role of science press officers at UK universities. In this episode of Research Unravelled Peter speaks with two people who were instrumental to the report's creation: Helen Jamison and Claire Bithell.
The conversation reveals the often invisible but critical role these professionals play in building trust in science through skilled diplomacy. As universities face financial pressures, Helen and Claire emphasize that research communication isn't merely a "nice-to-have" but an essential component of the research ecosystem requiring continued recognition and support.
Download (https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/publications/publications-for-press-officers/the-changing-role-of-science-press-officers/) 2022's CROSPO report
Take part (https://forms.office.com/e/SHEQ946Esa) in this year's follow up survey
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27 Mar 2025
Tracey Brown | Sense about Science
Why do many risk messages fail to connect with audiences? How can communicators avoid oversimplifying complex risk information while still making it accessible to audiences? What does it mean to take a "public-led, expert-fed" approach to science communication?
In this episode Tracey Brown, Director of Sense About Science, talks about the charity's Risk know-how programme that was created to empower people to communicate risk effectively with their communities.
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com (https://www.orinococomms.com) | Contact me at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod)
6 Mar 2025
Nick Hillier | The Academy of Medical Sciences
What counts as a 'meaningful' engagement when involving patients and public with research? How can we elevate the voices of people with lived experience as experts? How can we support those people who agree to tell their own stories for impact?
In this episode Peter is joined by Nick Hillier, Director of Communications and Engagement at the Academy of Medical Sciences, which was established in 1998 to ensure that everybody can access good health, supported by the best research and evidence.
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Help us develop a snapshot of the research comms sector today by filling out our questionnaire:
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Get in touch with us:
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com (https://www.orinococomms.com) | Contact me at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod)
13 Feb 2025
Research Unravelled Extra, Episode 4
In these monthly extra episodes Peter is joined by co-host, Bianca Winter, to share listeners' thoughts on our main guest episodes, and to discuss the latest news and trends from the world of research communications.
In this episode we...
Reflect on the last guest episode with Lorraine Bridges - Head of Campaigns at the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR)
Talk about Peter's recent experiments with AI tools for research comms and our upcoming 'AI Sandbox Sessions' series where we'll share our findings.
Share some news from the past couple of weeks that could have big implications for the research comms sector in the UK and USA.
We want this podcast to be a space of interaction and engagement for the research comms community, so we'd love to hear from you.
Contact us at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) or bianca@orinococomms.com (mailto:bianca@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com/) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod) | Find us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/orinoco-communications)
30 Jan 2025
Lorraine Bridges | National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
What differentiates a 'campaign' from business-as-usual comms? What are the most important ingredients for running a successful communications campaign? How do you build partnerships based on trust and reciprocity?
In this episode Peter is joined by Lorraine Bridges, Head of Campaigns and Deputy Director of Communications at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
She talks about the NIHR's 2023 'Shape the Future' campaign that won her and her team a CIPR Excellence Award and reflects on what goes into running an effective campaign, storytelling, relationship building and the power of setting objectives.
This week's question for our listeners:
Think back to a memorable campaign you've run - if you could do it again, what one thing would you do differently?
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In the episode Peter refers to an article citing statistics related to recruitment for clinical trials. Here is a link to the source: https://bit.ly/4hwsVH9
N.B. Lorraine has since pointed out that the source is a few years old now and recruitment rates have improved since then.
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📕 Lorraine's book recommendation: Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com (https://www.orinococomms.com) | Contact me at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod)
23 Jan 2025
Research Unravelled Extra, Episode 3
A 2025 Welcome from Peter and Bianca at Research Unravelled Extra!
In these monthly extra episodes Peter is joined by co-host, Bianca Winter, to share listeners' thoughts on our main guest episodes, and to discuss the latest news and trends from the world of research communications.
In this episode we...
Reflect on Peter's interview with Catherine Foot, Director of the longevity think thank, Phoenix Insights,
Share listener thoughts and questions about that interview
Unpick a new report from the Reuter's Institute about the technology and trends that will affect the news media landscape this year - and what that means for research comms.
We want this podcast to be a space of interaction and engagement for the research comms community, so we'd love to hear from you.
Here's what we'd like to know in particular...
How are you feeling about the use of AI in research comms at the moment? What uses would you like to explore more?
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We can't wait to hear from you!
Contact us at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) or bianca@orinococomms.com (mailto:bianca@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com/) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod) | Find us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/orinoco-communications)
19 Dec 2024
Catherine Foot | Phoenix Insights
Peter Barker explores the complexities of societal change with Catherine Foot, Director of Phoenix Insights, as they discuss how to drive meaningful progress on longevity and aging.
28 Nov 2024
Research Unravelled Extra, Episode 2
Research communications expert Catherine Gregory discusses the CROSPO report and its implications with Peter and Bianca Winter of Orino Co.
14 Nov 2024
Catherine Gregory | Ada Lovelace Institute
How do you craft consistent communications in a field as rapidly evolving as AI and data? Can we shift the narrative from perceived future existential risk to actual present day harms? What's the best way of making your messages resonate with policy makers?
Join Peter Barker in conversation with Catherine Gregory - Head of Communications and Content at Ada Lovelace Institute, an independent research institute with a mission to ensure that data and AI work for people and society.
We hope you enjoy, rate, review and share this episode - and we encourage you to join the conversation with any comments and questions!
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📕 This week's recommendation is a documentary called 'Daughters' available on Netflix.
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31 Oct 2024
Research Unravelled Extra, Episode 1
Welcome to Research Unravelled Extra!
In these monthly extra episodes Peter will be joined by co-host, Bianca Winter, to share listeners' reflections on the latest guest episodes, and to discuss the latest news and trends from the world of research communications.
We want this to be a space where the research comms community engages and interacts with its fellow members, so please get in touch to let us know what you think.
This episode features:
Reponses to our Ep1 interview with Ali Bailey, Director of Communications at the Francis Crick Institute.
News about the launch of our brand new Research Comms Snapshot Report: https://bit.ly/research-comms-snapshot (https://bit.ly/research-comms-snapshot)
Here are the questions that we (and our listeners) want to hear from you about...
How do comms teams gain the trust of their individual researchers, especially at larger institutes?
What strategies have worked for you in engaging audiences, especially where there may be conflicting values?
Do you agree that you'd like to see a more connected research comms community that spans different disciplines? If so, what would you like that community to look like?
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We can't wait to hear from you!
Contact us at peter@orinococomms.com (mailto:info@orinococomms.com) or bianca@orinococomms.com (mailto:bianca@orinococomms.com) | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com (https://orinococomms.substack.com/) | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod (https://bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod) | Find us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/orinoco-communications)
17 Oct 2024
Ali Bailey | The Francis Crick Institute
How do you communicate science so complex that even scientists find it hard to understand? How can communicators cope with the vast number of digital channels and platforms used today? What does 'values-based communication' mean and how can it help you develop a fantastic relationship with your audiences?
Join Peter Barker in conversation with Ali Bailey - Director of Communications and Public Engagement at The Francis Crick Institute, one of the world's largest biomedical research institutions, located in the heart of London.
We hope you'll enjoy, rate, review and share this episode - and we encourage you to join the conversation and let us know what you think!
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📕 This week's book recommendation is Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow by Daniel Kahneman
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2 Oct 2024
Research Unravelled Trailer
Welcome to Research Unravelled - a brand new podcast where we take a deep dive into the impactful world of research communications.
In particular we’ll be exploring the complexity that lies at the heart of this particular field and hearing from communications experts about how they navigate and overcome or unravel that complexity.
Research Unravelled is hosted by Peter Barker and brought to you by Orinoco Communications - the creative agency that specialises in working with research organisations.
Who has been a guest on Research Unravelled
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Sarah Carter-Bell
Alexander Buxton
Catherine Foot
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