Science Communication Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship
The visiting professorship for science communication, established in the winter term 2018/2019, is a joint initiative of the Veranstaltungsforum of Holtzbrinck Berlin, the Klaus Tschira Foundation (KTS) and Ruperto Carola.
With KTS funding, experts are invited to impart in a specialised programme what constitutes high-quality reporting on scientific work and findings. At the same time, they are encouraged to initiate a broad-based discussion on new forms of exchange between science and the public.
With the establishment of the professorship, the three partners hope to sharpen awareness of the growing importance of good science communication. The visiting professorship is intended to aid society in shaping the future through science in the face of increasingly complex research.
A champion of excellent science communication and quality journalism is usually appointed as a guest professor each semester. Along with the furtherance these aims, young researchers are also trained to better communicate their research and findings to the public. The Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship is located at the Marsilius Kolleg of Ruperto Carola, which serves as a bridge between the scientific cultures in Heidelberg.
Twelfth Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship: Leonid Klimov
Leonid A. Klimov works as an editor and format developer at the intersection of academia and journalism. After completing his studies and earning a doctorate in Cultural and Literary Studies in Saint Petersburg, he pursued an additional Master’s degree in Cultural and Media Management in Hamburg. Since 2015, he has been an editor at the online magazine dekoder.org. There, in cooperation with research institutes, he conceptualizes and produces complex multimedia formats (Grimme Online Award 2021, nomination 2024). He has also been a Fellow at the Hamburg Media School (Journalism Innovators Program) and at MediaLab Bayern (Future of News), and has taught science communication at universities in Berlin, Basel, and St. Gallen.
Fireside-Chat
The 12th Nature Marsilius Visiting Professorship will be launched with a fireside chat with colleagues from the Marsilius Kolleg.
Mon., 27.04.2026
Public Lecture
Joy in complexity, or why we need to (radically) re-think science communication
Tue., 16.06.2026, 7pm The Great Hall of the Old University
Complexity has a bad reputation: complex issues are difficult to grasp, and their solutions are not obvious. At the same time, many of the things we value are complex. Perhaps we value them precisely because they are complex. Yet their complexity makes them what we value. One example is democracy. It is damn exhausting.
Yet we live in a world in which complexity is being reduced from many sides. It is not only about populism with its simple narratives or about deliberate disinformation. Much suggests that the established mechanisms of intellectual knowledge transfer alone are no longer capable of conveying a robust and at the same time nuanced picture of an equally complex reality. This applies not least to journalism: in the struggle for attention, complexity is usually either simplified or dispersed—in most cases, both. Yet the world remains just as complex. And that complexity is a value.
What role should science and science communication play in this? Is their task simply to “inform the general public about findings in an appropriate form”? Or is it about more?
In his talk, science editor and format developer Leonid A. Klimov speaks about media work at the intersection of science and journalism, about complexity, and about one of its characteristics that can connect journalists, scientists, and readers alike: cognitive joy.
Courses
Seminar 1
From Research to Story: An Introduction to the Narratology of Science-Based Texts
Mon., 04.05.2026, 10am – 12pm (Date 1)
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 2, first floor
Course language: German
Fri., 08.05.2026, 10am – 12pm (Date 2)
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 1, ground floor
Course language: English
Target group: anyone interested
People remember stories, not facts. But how can often abstract scientific findings be translated into a compelling narrative? What makes a good story? And how can it successfully convey complex content?
In this seminar, we will walk through the steps from research to the development of a narrative, examine best practices, and take a closer look at the structure of science-based stories.
Workshop 1
tl;dr: Longreads in a time of reels and shorts
Wed, 29.04.2026, 10am – 12pm (Part 1)
Wed, 06.05.2026, 10am – 12pm (Part 2)
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 2, first floor
Target group: anyone interested
Course language: German
In the digital world, one thing is clear: attention is scarce. At the same time, the world remains complex—and good science communication often requires more than just a few seconds. How do you write a longread in a way that keeps readers engaged and, ideally, makes them lose track of time? Which textual strategies can be used to deliberately “balance out” attention spans? And what do “Rateinseln” and sequencing have to do with it?
Together, we will look inside the toolbox that allows longer scientific content to be told in a way that is readable, engaging, and well-structured.
Workshop 2
SciComm Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Luring Yourself out of the Ivory Tower
Sun, 10.05.2026, 4pm – 8pm
Meeting place: a pub
Target group: Bachelor’s students, Master's students, doctoral students, postdocs
Course language: German
When talking about one’s own research, it is easy to slip into an academic register. This shift happens almost reflexively and, in a sense, nearly inevitably: through efforts toward terminological precision, conceptual condensation, a not insignificant tendency toward
nominalization—generally defined as the transformation of other parts of speech (usually verbs or adjectives) into nouns—as well as through a cultivated ability, acquired in writing various kinds of academic texts, to construct nested sentences that—like, for example, this very sentence—recipients of this abstract will almost certainly have to read twice before they grasp what it is actually about.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. This style is not inherently bad—academically speaking, it often allows for greater precision. The problem is that outside academia, people frequently do not understand it. Often, it is not even clear what is being discussed—although everyone pretends that everything is self-evident.
How can you talk about science in a way that ensures you are truly understood? And how can you prepare for that? There are a few helpful exercises that can make a real difference.
Workshop 3
To whom it may concern: audience and audience research in science communication
Mon, 08.06.2026, 10am – 12pm (Part 1)
INF 130.1, Seminar Room 2, first floor
Mon., 15.06.2026, 10am – 12pm (Part 2)
INF 130.1, Club Room 1, first floor
Target group: PhD students, Postdocs, Professors, science communicators
Course language: German
Science communication is typically aimed at the “general public.” The problem is that this “general public” does not actually exist. Instead, there are many different target audiences—and each of them requires a different approach in writing. How do you decide whom you want to address? How do you tailor a text to a specific audience? And why do you often reach more people when your target group is narrowly (but clearly) defined?
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