The Observer Effect podcast - conversations with researchers
Shane Bergin
I wanted to share a podcast project I’ve been working on over the past while with Shaun O'Boyle and Maurice Kelleher. It may be of interest to you.
The Observer Effect is a short podcast series where I speak with researchers about their work and, importantly, about the experiences, values and parts of their lives beyond academia that shape the questions they ask and the way they approach their research.
As science communicators, we often focus on explaining findings and methods. In this series I was interested in something slightly different: what happens when we also listen to what motivates researchers, and how their personal experiences shape their work?
Across the series I speak with researchers working in areas including urban development, political economy, education, policing and justice, human–AI interaction, and neurodiversity. The conversations explore how their interests developed, what drew them to their questions, and how their lives outside the university continue to shape their research.
One of the things I learned while making the series is how much these personal perspectives help make research feel more understandable and relatable. Hearing the motivations behind the work not only helps build stronger research communities, but can also help strengthen public trust by making the people behind the research more visible.
If you’re interested, the full series is available here
I’d be very interested to hear what you think about this approach to conversations about research and researchers.
Best wishes,
Shane Bergin
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Dr Shane Bergin (he/him),