Connect school students with History outside the classroom, and help them discover STEM careers in Iām History, Get me out of here.
Connect with school students in lively, 30-minute, online Chats to share your experiences and show the wide range of research and STEM-related careers out there.
Hear students’ ideas about your work and find out what interests them in research. Discuss the value and versatility of computer sciences in their everyday life, regardless of career destination.
Itās all online and text-only (no audio or video). All you need is a web browser.
Chat with students in text-only live Chats
Answer their questions about you, your work, your salary, or any other topic
Itās not just school students who benefit – computer scientists enjoy it too! Iām a Researcher is a low-pressure way to ādip your toes inā to outreach, building engagement and communication skills as you go.
You should expect to spend an average of an hour and a half per month engaging with students across the academic year. The activity is flexible and works around your schedule ā join in at the times that suit you. Youāll retain control over your availability: block off days when you canāt take part, set the number of chats you can manage per week ā weāll arrange the rest.
"Our chats made me re-think my research and how I got doing my job. In turn, I learnt a lot about myself and chatting with [the students] reminded me how much I love being a scientist."
Gael Lymer, Scientist
"It was easy to fit around work and reached a large number of students. Plus there was less planning than if, say, I'm running an activity with a school. Just turn up and chat - large impact, small effort."
Polly, Scientist
"I thought it was one of the most accessible ways to engage in outreach and everyone should give it a go. It's flexible, enjoyable, and rewarding. It also makes you think about your work from a completely new perspective."
Luke Townsend, Scientist
"Compared to my previous experience with outreach projects as part of a fair, it felt like I had much more 1-on-1 time with each student asking the questions, without feeling the pressure of having to keep them interested."
Ross Low, Scientist
"The best crash course in science communication there is."
Ben Still, Scientist
Who can apply? If your work involves computing ā anything in research, sign up now to take part in Iām a Researcher.
You could be working in industry, academia or the public sector
You could be a technician, an apprentice, or in roles like comms or management
It only takes 2 minutes to apply. We’ll be in touch if we have the funding to support your place in the activity.
Take part to show students the wide range of research-related careers out there.
Learn about up to 40 relevant researchers, through their profiles, including their CVs
Connect with researchers in 30-minute, text-based, online Chats
Deepen their understanding and continue engaging with the researchers by sending follow-up questions
Decide which researcher deserves the Ā£500 winnerās prize
Review their learning through a facilitated discussion
šØļø What STEM professionals say:
āThe questions asked were both fun and challenging, keeping me on my toes at all times and giving me a fresh perspective and enthusiasm for my own researchā
“Love, love, loving taking part in @imascientist, so much fun, very engagingā
