Science in society/ societal impact
Open masterclass by Sun Sun Lim.
In this masterclass, particularly facilitated for early career researchers (although everyone is welcome), Sun Sun Lim will lead us through a two-part discussion of how science comes to make a difference in society, drawing on her immense experience as a broker between scientific and societal debates.
5Rs for Transforming Research into Practice (from 10:00 – 11:00)
From fake news to climate change, social inequality to religious extremism, the world is beset with wicked problems that academia is constantly challenged to help tackle. But these problems cannot be resolved by academia alone, nor through the perspective of any one academic discipline. Instead, scholars of all disciplines should seize opportunities to translate academic research into innovative and socially relevant practice. We must engage with multiple stakeholders and collaborate across industry and disciplinary borders, while communicating our ideas to the broader public. Within academe, we need step outside of our siloes to work in interdisciplinary teams with multi-perspectival approaches and methods. I will draw on my personal journey and those of inspirational colleagues to distil five key ways for emerging scholars to plan career trajectories for effective translational research.
From Research to Reach: Writing Effective Op-Eds (from 11:00 – 12:00)
In our information-saturated attention economy, scholars have a vital role to play in shaping public understanding through clear, compelling, and credible commentary. Yet translating academic research into accessible writing does not come naturally. In this talk, Sun Sun Lim draws on her experience as both an academic and a public commentator to share practical insights on how to craft op-eds that resonate beyond the ivory tower. She will discuss how to identify newsworthy angles, frame evidence for a general audience, and write with clarity, conviction, and purpose while maintaining intellectual integrity. This session aims to empower young academics to communicate their research in ways that inform, influence, and inspire wider public discourse.
About Sun Sun Lim
Sun Sun Lim is Vice President, Partnerships & Engagement and Lee Kong Chian Professor of Communication and Technology at Singapore Management University. She has researched extensively the social impact of technology, focusing on technology domestication, future of work and AI ethics. She has over 100 academic publications including Transcendent Parenting: Raising Children in the Digital Age (Oxford University Press, 2020) and articles in flagship journals including Nature, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication and Big Data and Society. She was a Nominated Member of the 13th Parliament of Singapore and an honoree of the Top 50 Asia Women Tech Leaders 2024. She is also Fellow of the International Communication Association and Singapore Computer Society. See more at www.sunsunlim.com.
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