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Marc Abernathy, Research Communication Strategist, teaching a workshop session at the LBG Career Center Winter School

Building Research Capacity: From Lab to Page.

Interactive workshops and expert talks designed to demystify the funding and publishing landscape. I move beyond standard "Academic English" tips to teach the rhetorical strategy behind successful research.

Signature workshops

Half-day or full-day, in-person or online

Thinking Like a Reviewer: The Rhetoric of Funding

Target: Postdocs & PIs applying for ERC, DFG, or Horizon Europe

Most grants fail not on the science, but on the narrative. In this intensive session, we reverse-engineer successful proposals to understand what reviewers are actually looking for. Participants learn to spot "red flags" in their own drafts and structure their project for an interdisciplinary audience.

Marc Abernathy, Research Communication Strategist, teaching the workshop "Thinking like your reviewers: Using the review process to craft a strategic and effective research proposal"

From Lab to Page: Structuring Complex Data Into a Research Narrative

Target: Natural Sciences & Interdisciplinary Groups

How do you explain high-context data and its significance to a low-context audience? We explore the "Hourglass Structure" of scientific writing, ensuring that the significance of your results is accessible to editors and reviewers outside your immediate sub-field.

Marc Abernathy, Research Communication Strategist, teaching the workshop "From Lab to Page: Structuring Complex Data Into a Research Narrative"
Marc Abernathy, Research Communication Strategist, teaching the workshop "From Idea to Funded: Advanced Grant-Writing Strategies" at the University of Hamburg, Germany

The Strategic Abstract: Hooking the Reader in 10 Sentences

Target: PhD Candidates & Early Career Researchers

The Abstract is the part of your paper or proposal that almost everyone will read. To get them to keep reading, you need a compelling combination of rhetorical elements. Participants bring their own drafts and leave with a revised version that communicates context, problem, solution, and significance.

The Communication Lab

Exploring emerging topics affecting researchers

Marc Abernathy, Research Communication Strategist, teaching a workshop at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Expert Talks (60 to 90 minutes)

Ideal for Department Colloquia, Retreats, or Lunch & Learn sessions

  • The Human Side of Rejection: Strategies for developing resilience in a hypercompetitive era

  • "So What?": Communicating the value of your research to non-academic stakeholders

  • Short But Powerful: Communicating your research on social media

  • The AI Dilemma in Research Writing: Tool or Trap? Navigating the ethics and utility of AI in research proposals & papers

Bring these sessions to your institution

I customize all workshops to the specific needs, disciplines, and experience level of your group.

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