Research4Life Appoints New Marketing and Communications Co-Chairs
We are excited to share an update about our goals to contribute to the UN Decade of Action for accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals by increasing research participation from LMICs. Following a call for application and a thorough and thoughtful selection process, we have appointed Audrey Au Yong Lyn and Craig Teall as the new Marketing and Communications co-chairs of Research4life.
Introducing Audrey Au Yong Lyn
Audrey Au Yong Lyn is a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, specializing in development, gender, and education economics. With a keen interest in bridging the knowledge gap between resource-rich countries and Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), Audrey has joined Research4Life to make significant strides toward this goal.
In her role as a researcher in a resource rich country, Audrey recognizes the privilege of having easy access to peer-reviewed publications, which are typically funded by universities. However, she understands that this is not the case in LMICs, where such access can be limited. This disparity drives her motivation to contribute to R4L’s mission, which aims not only to enhance access to scholarly publications for researchers in LMICs but also to empower them to become active producers of knowledge, effectively representing their countries and regions on the global stage.
At R4L, Audrey plays a crucial role in the backend operations, managing website maintenance, hosting, and Google Analytics. Her expertise ensures the smooth functioning of these technical aspects, enabling the organization to achieve its objectives effectively. Audrey brings an unbridled enthusiasm to her work.
Audrey Au Yong Lyn says:
« I really enjoy the work I do at ETH Zurich helping Master’s students with their theses – from evaluating the feasibility of their research papers, and assessing their potential for scientific publication, to ensuring the robustness of their empirical methods, and offering guidance on the structure and framing of their scientific papers. I hope to bring these skills and experiences to my work with Research4Life! »
Introducing Craig Teall
Craig Teall is Head of Marketing (Journals, Authors and Researchers) at De Gruyter Brill. In his previous role at Frontiers, as Communications Manager, he managed a team of remote communication specialists and was responsible for the planning and implementation of the promotional strategy for Frontiers’ extensive journal portfolio, as well as corporate campaigns. Prior to that he worked at other major publishers including Elsevier and Taylor & Francis, primarily focusing on launching new journals and driving the growth of open access research.
Promoting equality in all its forms
Teall has worked extensively to promote Diversity and Inclusion including supporting the Head of D&I at Elsevier set up a new company wide council responsible for defining and delivering the company’s D&I strategy. He also led the LGBTQIA+ workstream, helping to create and deliver measurable action plans to advance Elsevier’s global D&I strategy. In 2018 Teall helped form the local Oxford chapter of Elsevier Pride, of which he was the chair for two years.
Teall says:
« I am an Inclusion and Diversity advocate and feel very strongly about promoting equality in all its forms. I believe in engaging, educating and empowering people so they can be authentic, feel safe and valued. »
Looking ahead, equitable opportunities for all
The Co-Chairs manage the communication and outreach activities of Research4Life, enabling access to academic and professional content for researchers in LMICs. The main responsibility is to develop and manage the implementation of Research4Life communication and marketing strategies. They work with the objective to increase the usage of Research4Life content and services and to improve engagement with Research4Life audiences, as defined in the Research4Life Strategic Plan.
Additionally, the Co-Chairs liaise with a number of teams across Research4Life, such as the Capacity Development Committee, supporting the promotion of their training activities, and provide communication support to the Country Connectors, who establish deeper links with Research4Life users in a number of target countries.
Learn more about the work we do in our brand new Impact Report.
Interested in getting involved? Find opportunities to support our work, or volunteer, today!
