Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship Communicating in Times of Planetary Crises
Press Release No. 39/2025
5 May 2025
Journalist and filmmaker Verena Mischitz designs workshop and seminar program at Heidelberg University
Heat, drought, floods: how can one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century – the climate and biodiversity crisis – be communicated in a scientifically well-founded and socially effective way? This question is at the center of Verena Mischitz’s work. In the 2025 summer semester, the Austrian journalist and filmmaker is taking on the Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship for Science Communication at Heidelberg University. The courses offered by the visiting professorship – a joint initiative of Holtzbrinck Berlin, the Klaus Tschira Foundation and Heidelberg University – aim to empower young researchers, in particular, to communicate their academic work to the public and contribute to a societal dialogue about the significance and responsibility of science. In order to achieve this, Verena Mischitz has planned a program of workshops and seminars. The spokesperson of the Austrian Climate Journalism Network, she will also give a public lecture on 3 July.
The tension between science and social commitment is the topic of a debating workshop, at which Verena Mischitz and participants will discuss the question “Bringing research to the general public: is that already activism?” and the democratic responsibility of researchers. Further events will deal with the fundamentals of science communication. For example, the Nature Marsilius Visiting Professor will show how complex research can be translated into understandable articles and how science stories can be narrated visually. There will also be practical exercises on designing video clips. The interactive seminar “Talking about research in an interview” will cover professional preparation for media appearances, for instance, how to handle critical queries. The topic of Verena Mischitz’s public lecture is “Communicating Science in Times of Planetary Crises”.
Verena Mischitz studied communication science and political science in Vienna and Liège (Belgium). After graduating she worked as a journalist and social media manager with the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) and, in parallel, as a moderator and journalist in the video section of the Austrian daily “Der Standard”. Since 2023, she has been a freelance journalist and filmmaker with broadcasters such as ORF, WDR and Arte. Verena Mischitz has received many awards for her explanatory videos on the climate and biodiversity crisis, including the Georg von Holtzbrinck Prize for Science Journalism. Since 2022, she has been spokesperson of the Austrian Climate Journalism Network.
The Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship for Science Communication is a joint initiative of Holtzbrinck Berlin, the Klaus Tschira Foundation and Heidelberg University. In the context of the professorship, notable experts are invited to the university to hold their own courses at the Marsilius-Kolleg on what makes for quality reporting about scientific work and research findings. At the same time, the visiting professors are expected to spark a broad-based discussion about new forms of exchange between academia and the public. The most recent holders of the visiting professorship include Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Michele Catanzaro, Martin Enserink, Fiona Fox and Kai Kupferschmidt.