About Me

Hello, I'm Andy. I have an holistic approach to research communications that incorporates creative tools alongside impactful communications and information management. I have many years experience as a communicator, information specialist technologist and journalist. I help academics, students and organisations maximise the reach and potential impact of their research.

I believe that communications are not something that happens after the paper is published, but can be part of a wider knowledge mobilisation ecosystem. Whether chunking up your outputs to create a multimedia communications campaign or aiming your research at esoteric platforms and audiences, I have the practical experience to help you achieve that.

I have run my own part-time research communications and impact consultancy for the past decade. In 2025 I went full time and prior to that I worked at the Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR) at the University of Sheffield for 24 years. I have degrees in Journalism and Information Management, which underpin much of my knowledge exchange and mobilisation work.

I have always practiced what I preach and I am able to produce animations, podcasts, infographics and I have extensively written, created podcasts and delivered talks and training about my areas of expertise. I have always tried to lead from the front. I ran my first research communications day course in 2010, started my first blog and YouTube channel at Sheffield in 2009 and created my first research animation in 2012 as part of a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC). I later won a University of Sheffield Senate Award for pioneering work in MOOCs. I have a good understanding of OERs, Open Research practices and Creative Commons and have always been driven by making knowledge as open as possible.

My philosophy is that effective communications do not just start with the message and the audience, but the medium and the host. I have spoken to many academics and research professionals keen to develop their own creative outputs after seeing someone else's video or infographic. There is no one size fits all and that academics and their audiences are not a homogenised group. I can advise as to which outputs best meet your needs and budget, however small. I also believe that where you host your creative research communication outputs is important to success, which I wrote about for the LSE Impact Blog. I also ensure that any work I do on behalf of researchers and their organisations is owned by them and not hosted by me. You can see examples of my work here.

I received a Teaching Senate Award from The University of Sheffield for my pioneering work on Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) in 2013 and I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I was named in Jisc’s Top 10 Social Media Superstars in 2017 and named as one of their Community Champions in 2025 for my work into the state of social media in HE. I was the Chair of the CILIP special interest group Multimedia and Information Technology and served on UKSG's Education and Events Committee for five years. As a member of both groups, I organised and led several seminars and conferences that explored creative technology, open educational resources (OERs) and research communications.

I am an expert in the area of social media in higher education and I have been interviewed by the likes of the BBC, The Times and Times Higher Ed on the topic. I also have a big interest in altmetrics and published one of the first books on the topic in 2016. I also lead the scientific research communications for the NIHR funded knowledge mobilisation for public health project called KNOW-PH.

As someone who has written papers, delivered teaching and seen academia first hand, I have a great understanding of the sector. I am aware of the limitations, the anxieties and considerations relating to research communications in modern academia. My aim is to empower others to share their knowledge and make communicating research easier, enjoyable and more impactful.