When she passed her PhD viva, literature researcher Ally Louks posted a picture of herself and her thesis on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2024. The photo shared her thesis title: “Olfactory Ethics: The politics of smell in modern and contemporary prose”. The post garnered over 11,000 responses, some deeply negative. Louks received rape and death threats.
Academics in UK universities are increasingly encouraged to share their research with the public. This could be on social media, in media appearances, or by writing for non-academic outlets such as The Conversation.
This work can be extremely valuable and can come with social and professional rewards. The institutions that offer funding for research often ask for a plan for “impact” as part of the applications academics must submit. Having a public profile can have career benefits within a university: it may be considered when researchers seek promotion, for instance.
