Dr Sophie Farrow selected for 2026 ABSW Media Fellowship

Dr Sophie Farrow selected as a

2026 Association of British Science Writers Media Fellow

Kavli Oxford is delighted to be supporting Dr Farrow's placement with New Scientist, where she will gain first-hand experience of how journalists identify, develop and communicate scientific stories for broad audiences.

A Parkinson’s UK Senior Research Fellow in the University of Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Dr Farrow is also Academic Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Research UK Thames Valley Network. Her research combines experimental and bioinformatic approaches to understand how genetic information could be used to advance personalised treatments for people with Parkinson’s disease. Dr Farrow is also passionate about patient and public involvement and engagement. She has led several initiatives to strengthen collaboration between researchers and the communities they serve.

 

I’m really excited to have been selected as an ABSW Media Fellow. I hope the Fellowship will help me develop the skills and insight to communicate basic laboratory science clearly and responsibly beyond academia. I look forward to taking what I learn back to my workplace to help bridge the gap between researchers, patients, the media and the wider public. 

– Dr Sophie Farrow

The ABSW Media Fellowships give practising scientists, clinicians and engineers the opportunity to spend between two and six weeks working within a media organisation. The programme aims to give scientists greater confidence in engaging with the media, strengthen understanding between journalists and researchers, tackle mistrust and misrepresentation, and build understanding between science and society.

Dr Farrow is one of ten academics taking part in this year’s programme, with placements taking place between mid-July and early October. Kavli Oxford has joined the Media Fellowships scheme for the first time in 2026 and is supporting Dr Farrow's fellowship. Once the placements have been completed, the Fellows will attend a development meeting to discuss what they have learned and how that learning could be taken forward within their institutions. Dr Farrow's placement therefore also has the potential to benefit science communication across the wider Kavli Oxford community.

You can read more about Dr Farrow and the other 2026 ABSW Media Fellows on the ABSW website, and find further information about the Media Fellowships programme here.