Research Communications & Media Strategy

Making brilliant research impossible to ignore

Thirteen years turning complex academic and policy research into stories that land in the Guardian, the FT and the BBC — and shape the conversations that matter.

What I Do Start a Conversation
13+Years in research comms
Top-tierCoverage secured
22%Coverage uplift delivered
Tom Walters
13+ years in
the game

About Tom

The person behind the story

Thirteen years doing one thing really well: taking research that deserves a bigger audience and getting it one. Whether it's a cancer immunotherapy breakthrough, a study on the world's polluter elite, or a landmark report on AI and statistics — I find the story inside the science and make sure it lands.

"The best bit of my job? Getting deep into genuinely amazing research and the brilliant people behind it — then helping the world sit up and take notice."

Most recently Senior Communications Manager at the Royal Statistical Society, securing coverage in the FT and The Economist. Before that, a decade at the University of Sussex across science, social policy, climate and global affairs.

Creative, well-connected, and fast. I also think life's too short to take things too seriously — which means working with me doesn't have to feel like hard work.

Universities Research Centres Think Tanks Charities Policy Organisations Movements
Let's talk
Tom at University of Sussex
Tom with espresso in Italy
Tom with family at Bamburgh Castle
Tom with a Guinness
Tom at football

What People Say

Trusted by the people behind the research

From academics landing their first national exclusive to institutions navigating sensitive moments — here's what working together looks like.

"
Tom is a media expert who was crucial to increasing my media impact. He expertly prepared me for interviews with journalists at The Guardian, which was pivotal to securing exclusive coverage of my journal article. This led to the oil companies I had written about needing to reply to my research on the record.
Dario Kenner Author & expert on technological change and global oil companies
"
Working with Tom was always a joy and always productive. His approach balanced creativity and responsiveness, which invariably led to swift, accurate and transformational coverage. His combination of contacts and ability to sense and shape a good story led to coverage on major media platforms with significant positive impact on our work.
Prof. Alice Eldridge Professor of Sonic Systems, University of Sussex
"
Tom has a rare ability to understand research at a deep level and translate it into a story that journalists actually want to tell. He secured coverage we never thought possible and handled the whole process with complete professionalism.
[Name], [Organisation] [Title] ⟳ Replace with a real quote

Services

What I can do for you

Project, retainer or embedded — whatever works for you. Here's what I do.

01

Media Strategy & Campaign Planning

From the first spark of a research finding to full national coverage. I develop targeted strategies that place your work in front of the right journalists, at the right moment, with the right message.

Proactive & reactive
02

Press Releases, Op-eds & Briefings

Clear, authoritative writing that translates complex evidence into content journalists actually want to use — and that policymakers actually read.

Written communications
03

Research Launch Campaigns

Full-service launch support: embargo management, journalist relationships, digital amplification and stakeholder engagement — so your publication lands with maximum impact.

End-to-end delivery
04

Expert Positioning & Media Training

Getting brilliant academics comfortable and confident in front of journalists and cameras. I build long-term relationships between experts and media contacts that keep paying dividends.

Profile building
05

Reactive Media & Crisis Comms

When the news moves fast, you need someone who moves faster. I provide calm, strategic counsel during sensitive moments — and the contacts to make your response count.

High-stakes support
06

Strategic Advisory

Senior-level counsel for communications leads, institutional leaders and academics. Whether you're navigating a reputational moment or planning a year's media activity, I can help.

Consultancy

Selected Work

Research that made the news

A small selection of campaigns I've led — chosen because they show what's possible when strategy, relationships and good writing come together.

Climate & Inequality

The Polluter Elite

Led the campaign for groundbreaking research showing the world's richest 5% are responsible for 95% of carbon emissions — a finding that demanded national and global attention.

Guardian exclusive and opinion piece
100+ pieces of international coverage
Broadcast interviews coordinated
Shaped fossil fuel policy debate
Cancer Research

An 'Off Switch' for Cancer

Spent time in the lab to truly understand research on blocking the LMTK3 protein — then built a campaign around a narrative that mass audiences could grasp and care about.

Daily Mail front-page science coverage
High-reach national audience
Policy stakeholder dissemination
Institutional health research profile raised
Ecology & Sound

Wilding Radio

Helped launch the world's first live radio broadcast from a rewilding site — turning a scientific project about beaver reintroduction into a national story about nature recovery and hope.

BBC Today Programme exclusive
ITV News coverage secured
BBC 6 Music segment
Read the Sussex story →
Student Innovation

MarinaTex

Campaigned for Sussex student Lucy Hughes after she invented a biodegradable plastic made from fish waste — and won the International James Dyson Award, beating entrants from 27 countries.

International James Dyson Award winner
National and international media coverage
Top-tier broadcast and online pickup
Read the BBC story →

How I Work

Insight to impact

Every campaign follows the same four-stage logic — whether it's a single press release or a six-month programme.

01

Insight

I get deep into your research — reading papers, talking to the people behind them, understanding what's genuinely new and why it matters beyond the lab or lecture theatre.

→
02

Narrative

From the evidence, I find the story: the angle that makes a journalist pick up the phone, the frame that makes a policymaker read on, the language that makes a public audience care.

→
03

Media

I use a well-maintained network of national journalists and broadcasters, built over a decade of doing right by them. The right story, to the right contacts, at the right time.

→
04

Impact

Coverage that reaches the audiences you need — public, policy, specialist. With a clear record of what landed, where, and what it means for your organisation's profile.

Published Writing

Words under my own name

Before communications was my career, journalism was my passion. These pieces — published in my own name — show the writer behind the strategist.

HuffPost

Journalism: Occupation of the Privileged?

A sharp look at class, access and the uncomfortable truth about who gets to tell the stories that shape public life — and who gets left out of the newsroom entirely.

Read the piece → HuffPost

A Childhood Without Music

On the slow erosion of music education in schools, what's lost when children grow up without it, and why the arts are always first against the wall when budgets are cut.

Read the piece → HuffPost

From Grief to Anxiety

A personal essay on the unexpected ways loss changes shape over time — and the quiet, creeping anxiety that can take hold long after the initial grief has passed.

Read the piece → HuffPost

Auschwitz: Holocaust Memorial

A deeply personal account of visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau — on bearing witness, the weight of history, and why some places demand to be seen in person.

Read the piece →

Get in Touch

Got research that deserves attention?

Whether you've got a campaign in mind, a launch coming up, or you're just wondering whether your work is media-ready — I'm always happy to have an initial conversation. No obligation, no jargon.

✉
tom.walters10@outlook.com
✆
07437 016 195
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