Dr Lorraine Coghill

Deputy Director of Science Outreach

What do you do?

Growing up I was really curious and liked asking how things worked and why things happened. I was fortunate to have inspiring teachers and great support from my family and so I became the first from my family to go to university where I studied science. This led me to travel, live in different places, meet wonderful people and have experiences that my younger self wouldn’t have imagined. I now love living in the North East and feeling part of communities.  

I began working in public engagement during my PhD in biomedical and clinical sciences, contributing to national debate projects and science festival events. Since then, I have worked on multiple programmes and initiatives for universities, science centres, festivals and educational and community organisations in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, including managing a science centre’s informal learning programme, contributing to EU dialogue projects, and developing professional development opportunities.    

How are you involved in this area of science? 

My role at Durham University is all about people. I create, develop and cultivate opportunities for people to work together, helping to build understanding, collaboration, and community. I develop and manage creative, participatory programmes and projects involving our wonderful community partners, which include community organisations, charities, schools, young people, businesses and local/regional government.   

Durham’s Science Faculty is committed to purposeful positive engagement and collaboration with communities, particularly those traditionally underserved by and underrepresented in Higher Education. This commitment is seen through the dedication of our staff and students and I provide support, training and resources to enable these collaborations and help them flourish.   

Every programme is different, from working with researchers and creative practitioners to explore space, arts and sports; to training and supporting young people in developing innovative ways of engaging their own communities in STEM; through to facilitating purposeful discussion around cutting edge research with adult groups.  

What do you love about this topic?

I love working and connecting with people, building empathy, finding out where they are coming from, what interests them, and finding common ground to build new ideas, projects and collaborations. I really enjoy when collaborations take us on new and sometimes surprising journeys that build something much greater and more impactful than we’d originally planned. What brings me greatest joy is seeing people grow, develop and build their own skills, knowledge and confidence to thrive and fly in whatever they do.  

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

People are at the heart of everything that we do, so sometimes the impacts can be on the individual scale, such as developing skills or confidence, and sometimes it can impact a whole group or community.  

Public engagement is so important as it helps build trust and empathy between people, organisations and communities. It improves research by bringing different perspectives, enriching impact. It helps us to be more understanding and responsive to needs within our communities and society, and enables us to broaden awareness and discussions of science. Critically, engagement provides a way for everyone to be involved meaningfully.