Using AI and Automation to Scale Up Knowledge Exchange & Science Communications

Do you get weighed down by the sluggish progress of research to uptake? Take some of the load off and join James Shelley from the University of Western Ontario to learn about and discuss an innovative way to efficiently and effectively communicate research findings, even if you are part of a small team.

Wednesday June 25th, 4-5:30 pm, downtown Toronto and online. Details below.

Register whether you plan to attend in person or online:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zwlSAMziQgiEzytGmRux3w

Session description

Research progresses within the specialized environments of departments, institutes, centers, networks, and labs. Its specificity, incremental nature, and perceived niche relevance rarely allow these advancements to “trickle up” and make it into broader communications strategies of faculties and central communication offices.

Why does this happen? Central communications teams face competing demands for attention and messaging within academic institutions—balancing research alongside priorities such as marketing, student experience, and institutional branding. As a result, significant research advancements in narrow fields often go unnoticed, perceived as relevant only within specific domains, associations, or disciplines rather than aligned with the institution’s primary brand priorities. Departments and research units, where much of this progress originates, often lack dedicated communication support due to cost and scale constraints.

Piloting a solution

To address this gap, we developed a platform to create department- or unit-specific digital newsletters tailored to discreet “clusters” of researchers. This solution enables research units to produce both internal- and external-facing newsletters that showcase their contributions, even without dedicated communications teams. By integrating ORCiD, AI, and automation, we propose a streamlined platform and workflow for publication tracking, highlighting collaborative opportunities, and boosting efficiency in knowledge translation and exchange.

This project is in active experimentation. James will share opportunities to be involved.

Learning objectives of the event

• Understand structural barriers in research/academic contexts that can impede research communication
• Understand the potential of using open science tools, automation, and artificial intelligence to support knowledge mobilization efforts at scale
• Consider the implications of automation + AI to significantly transform the KT, KMb, and science communication ecosystems

About James Shelley

James is a the Director of the Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Lab at Western University.  An autodidact at heart, James’ personal research interests focus on the intersection of complexity theory, information, and communications, with a particular emphasis on the frontier applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in knowledge mobilization and research administration. James has provided strategic direction and leadership for the Complex Adaptive Systems Lab since July 2019.