Chronology

2014-Present
Owner, Scientifica
2007-2014
Head of Communication, DTU Systemsbiology
2000-2007
Various communication positions in the private and public sector
2000
MSc in History and Philosophy of Science

Iben Julie Schmidt

Science communicator and owner of Scientifica

A Little Background

My mission is to help scientists achieve their goals by effectively communicating their research to audiences beyond their own scientific communities.

I founded Scientifica in 2014, building on my years of experience in research communication at the Technical University of Denmark. Today, my clients include researchers from all Danish universities, as well as companies with strong scientific foundations.

I have worked extensively on topics like biomedicine, biotechnology, microbiology, and bioinformatics, and I have been writing popular science stories about these subjects for magazines and news outlets since 2007. I have also covered areas such as wind energy, offshore technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, computer science, computational biology, medical research, and precision medicine.

I have produced more than 200 videos about science, most of them filmed in Danish research labs, but I have also followed researchers into the rainforests of Brazil and Malaysia, and at sea in Norway and Scotland. I’ve worked both in the field and in labs in the Faroe Islands, Mongolia, the U.S., and Japan. As a traveling video producer, I’ve learned how to work efficiently and capture the necessary footage and interviews without overwhelming researchers with a large film crew.

Currently, I find LinkedIn to be an excellent platform for communicating science. During COVID-19, I trained hundreds of scientists on how to use their LinkedIn profiles as strategic communication tools. I now work with project leaders and program managers to create LinkedIn pages that build communities and help them achieve their strategic goals. I create strategies and produce content by combining my skills in writing, photography, video production, and animation.

I’m a passionate sailor and diver, and recently, I have turned my professional focus to marine research. I’ve teamed up with some of Denmark’s leading marine researchers from DTU, KU, and AU to communicate their important research on microscopic life in the sea. Together, we aim to raise awareness about the vital and delicate microbial systems in the ocean.

With a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science, I have a deep passion for scientific discovery. We live in very exciting times. With rapid technological advancements, new and important scientific questions can now be asked—and answered.

I believe some of the best science communicators are scientists themselves. That’s why I have dedicated a significant amount of time to teaching scientists how to communicate effectively with non-scientific audiences. I developed a popular workshop called “Storytelling in Science,” which has trained hundreds of young scientists to use communication and storytelling concepts to advance their scientific careers. I also teach strategic communication to research groups and have developed a PhD course at DTU titled “How to Communicate Your Research with Video.”

a typical mix of assignments

Video production40%
Writing30%
web development30%
Teaching and training20%
Animation5%