What is SciComm Coffee?
SciComm Coffee is a monthly 60-minute online chat for women science communicators working in Asia to share ideas, discuss, and find solutions together about how to communicate science. It was launched in 2022 by Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe press officer Motoko Kakubayashi and Asia Research News Magdeline Pokar and Aya Kawanishi.
Meeting dates for 2025 (speaker sessions with *)
19 February* | 12 March* | 23 April*
14 May* | 11 June* | 16 July | 10 September
15 October | 12 November | 10 December
There are no meetings in January and August.
Upcoming meeting
14 May
Shivani Gandhi
Head of Outreach
MAP Academy
Title: Forwards into the Past: New Approaches to South Asian Art History.
Guest speakers 2025
11 June
Olivia Henry
Media Officer
Australian Science Media Centre
Title: The SMCs were established to improve science reporting, but times have changed – should we be helping influencers as well as journalists?
23 April
Motoko Kakubayashi
SciComm Coffee co-founder and press officer
The Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo
Title: Not Yet Equal: Women in Science Today
12 March
Ruby Shaira Panela
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines
Title: From Research to Reach: Media and Social Media Strategies for Science Communication.
19 February
Motoko Kakubayashi
SciComm Coffee co-founder and press officer
The Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, The University of Tokyo
Title: Reflections from an international science conference.
Send us an email [info AT asiaresearchnews.com] if you would like to join our friendly chats
Check out our Empower Women in Science page
Past speakers
Motoko Kakubayashi
Press officer
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe,The University of Tokyo
Title: Reflections on a recent international science communication meeting.
Associate Professor Jen Martin
Leader, Science Communication Teaching Program
The University of Melbourne
Title: Setting up the scicomm program and their work with scientists and their podcast.
Dr Helen Jamison
Global Science Media Center
Title: SMC global efforts and how she's working to make science more global. My journey from science to science communication.
Catriona Child
The Highland Institute
Title: A Little Place in the Hills: Decolonising Research In Northeast India - Nagland's Highland Institute.
Lisa Chong
Director, Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology & Research, Singapore
Title: Science communication at A*STAR.
Dr Sinead Hsi-Yi Chen
Chief Executive Officer
Science Media Centre Taiwan
Title: An overview about science communication in Taiwan.
Dr Catherine Diamond
International Communications
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Title: Blunders and breakthroughs: Crafting a research communication strategy in China.
Dr Magdeline PokarCEO and Founder
Asia Research News
Title: SciComm Business: our 20 year journey.
About the SciComm Coffee Team
MOTOKO KAKUBAYASHI is a press officer at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), The University of Tokyo. Originally from New Zealand, she trained as a physicist, but then found that talking about science to people was more exciting and switched to journalism. Frustrated at how little news about science in Asia was available in the western world, she moved to Japan to become a science communicator. She has held posts at the Science Media Centre of Japan, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and Radio New Zealand. She currently lives in Tokyo with her husband and two young children, and has therefore developed a mild addiction to Pokemon games and trains.
MAGGIE POKAR set up Asia Research News almost 20 years ago to increase diversity and elevate new voices in international research news. Her interest in science and journalism grew from her scientific research in Geophysics and reporting stories in local media and international science magazines. Being able to combine research and news is a dream job for her. Maggie is a Salzburg Global Fellow, Japan Airlines, Chevening and NESTA Scholar. She loves being on the beach, eating interesting food and music fills her soul.
AYA KAWANISHI is originally from Japan and trained as a news journalist in the UK. Having written and covered different topics at Chemical Watch, the International Network of Street Papers and Springer Nature, she decided to immerse herself in science communciation at Asia Research News which she joined in 2012. Currently based near Milan, Italy, she speaks English, Japanese and Italian. Loves to bake but believes the best pizza requires a stone oven and an excellent "pizzaiolo" (pizza chef).
