ABOVE: Melissa Kay
Social media, with its likes, shares, and stories, has evolved into a powerful platform for both non-scientists and researchers to share their work. At The Scientist, engagement specialist Melissa Kay has a finger on the pulse of trends to curate social media posts across various platforms to showcase new research. Her engagement efforts pique the curiosity of The Scientist’s audience and keep them up to date on the latest in life sciences.
While I’m always on the lookout for new trends and chasing the algorithm to stay current, I enjoy the collaboration that goes into creating posts.
—Melissa Kay, The Scientist
Q | What is your scientific background?
As a true crime lover, I did my undergraduate studies in forensic science at Laurentian University. It was cool to do blood spatter labs and DNA analysis, but I did not want a career in forensics. Instead, I stayed at Laurentian University to pursue a master’s degree in cellular and molecular biology. My project, co-advised by biochemist Amadeo Parissenti and molecular biologist Tom Kovala, involved transcription factors and their role in ribosomal RNA degradation in cancer cells. Ultimately, I realized I didn’t enjoy doing the research as much as learning all about it.
Q | How did you transition into science communication?
After graduation, I was deciding between a master’s degree and a science communication program at my university which piqued my interest. I pursued my master’s degree first and, funnily enough, I collaborated with the science communication cohort, whom I later joined for a graduate diploma. They taught me how to present my research to an audience. Following that, I interned with the Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Research Network, where I developed educational materials for teachers on supporting students with FASD. My journey then led me to a role as the social media coordinator for Drug Discovery News and later for The Scientist, where I could stay up to date on life sciences research and get to tell people about it.
Q | How do you approach crafting posts for each platform?
Each platform requires a different approach. I find that on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn, there’s more of an audience of researchers interested in sharing their work. On X, one has to be snappier, and my science background helps me craft concise posts that stay within the character limit while still making the science clear and accessible. In contrast, LinkedIn has a newsletter function set up like an interactive article to share a recap of the week’s top stories. For Facebook, I tone down the jargon and aim for a broader audience. I often start discussions by asking a question and then linking to our stories that provide the answers, such as why mosquitoes bite people more than others. It’s exciting to see so many people engage and respond. Instagram stories, where I feel I have more creative liberty, are quite fun with their poll features.
Q | What’s your favorite part of being an engagement specialist?
While I’m always on the lookout for new trends and chasing the algorithm to stay current, I enjoy the collaboration that goes into creating posts. For instance, working with the design team to transform TS Digest articles into mockup posts with eye-catching visuals is especially rewarding. I also enjoy thinking about different formats like using a carousel post for readers to find out the difference between two flow-based methods. It’s been a fun and interesting process getting to work with so many different people across teams in various capacities to best promote and share The Scientist articles.
Q | What do you like to do outside of work?
I started dragon boating in 2023, and it's become my summer sport. We race each month during the summer, and as the weather cools, we keep paddling until it's time to move indoors for the season. In the winter, I switch to playing ringette, a Canadian sport I’ve loved since I was four. My dad originally planned to put me in hockey, but a neighbor suggested ringette, a sport that began in the 1960s. It’s similar to hockey but uses a bladeless straight stick and a blue ring instead of a puck. It’s mostly played by girls, and I continued playing through university and am now in an adult league. I even had the chance to compete in a ringette tournament in Finland!