The Joint 'PCST Japan Symposium' and '7th JSF Conference' will be held from 11 to 13 November 2025 in Tokyo, Japan organised by Japan Scicom Forum (JSF) and hosted by Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo.

The joint symposium will focus on the strategic development of science communication and public engagement in Asia by highlighting innovative practices and solutions from around the world for engaging diverse audiences in non-Western contexts to create a sustainable ecosystem within the region.

symposium scope:

The PCST Symposium 2025 Tokyo, Japan, will bring together researchers, practitioners, lecturers, and other scholars in and around science communication to discuss the strategic development of science communication and public engagement across Asia. With a focus on non-Western contexts, this symposium aims to highlight innovative research and practices that address the region's unique challenges and opportunities in fostering sustainable science communication ecosystems. The discussions will centre on how to professionalise science communication, enhance education and training, and bridge the gap between research and society. While the symposium focuses on Japan and the wider Asia region, it welcomes participants from the West and other regions to share their work and engage in discussions about making it relevant to non-Western contexts. 

The symposium will engage in two key thematic areas: Education and Training, with a focus on formalising and expanding science communication programmes across Asia, including collaborations with industry and cultural institutions and integrating AI and digital skills; and Science and Society, which will explore how to effectively connect research with public needs through co-creation, policy development, and impact measurement. Special attention will be given to addressing multilingual communication, cultural contexts, and regional media landscapes, ensuring that science communication is inclusive and relevant to diverse publics across Japan and the Asia region.

Core Themes:

Theme 1: Education and Training—How can we establish formal and informal education and training programmes in Asia to professionalise science communication?

• Core Teaching Competencies: Defining core competencies for science communicators by identifying essential skills and knowledge areas for professionalisation.

• Beyond Science Academia: Expanding science communication training beyond universities by exploring collaborations with industry, museums, and cultural institutions.

• Global Models and Studies: Adapting global models of science communication education by drawing lessons from diverse regions and their applicability to non-Western contexts.

• AI and Digital Skills: Advancing digital skills and AI learning in science communication by leveraging online tools to enhance professional development.

Theme 2: Science and Society—How can we bridge the gap between science communication research and practice to engage with diverse audiences?

• Integrating Research into Practice: Applying research insights to real-world use, considering cultural contexts and policy development.

• Aligning Goals with Public Needs: Bridging research objectives with societal expectations, addressing multilingual communication and local cultural differences.

• Co-Creation in Science Communication: Fostering collaboration between researchers, industry, and diverse communities, with an emphasis on shaping policies that reflect public input.

• Measuring and Enhancing Impact: Assessing the effectiveness of evidence-based approaches to influence policy and public discourse.

Working Groups:

The core component of the symposium will be the following four 'Working Groups', each led by science communication experts. These groups will serve as the main platform for discussion and collaboration throughout the symposium, focusing on key aspects of the two central themes: science communication education and training, and public engagement in culturally diverse, non-Western contexts. The insights developed in these sessions will directly contribute to the creation of two white papers, and all participants will be assigned to a Working Group. Active engagement is essential, as all participants will be acknowledged as co-authors of the final outputs.

Working Group 1: Building Core Curricula and Professional Standards
To define foundational competencies and propose regionally relevant curricula and standards that support the formalisation and recognition of science communication as a professional field in Asia.

Working Group 2: Innovation in Learning Ecosystem and Capacity Building
To explore and recommend inclusive, cross-sector, and digitally enabled learning models that foster lifelong development of science communication skills across diverse contexts in Asia.

Working Group 3: Culturally Responsive Engagement
To develop context-aware strategies for inclusive public engagement in Asia by drawing on local knowledge, addressing linguistic and cultural diversity, and sharing global best practices.

Working Group 4: Research-Driven Practice and Policy Influence
To identify pathways for applying science communication research to institutional practices and public policy, with a focus on evaluating societal impact and enabling co-creation with communities.

Collaborative Outcomes

The working groups will convene on Day 2 and Day 3 of the symposium to collaboratively explore these key issues and co-develop practical recommendations. The insights and proposals generated will form the basis of two white papers, helping to shape the future of science communication education, practice, and policy in Asia and beyond.

This symposium represents a crucial step toward professionalising science communication, enhancing education and training, and bridging the gap between science and society—with an emphasis on multilingual, culturally aware, and digitally empowered approaches that resonate with diverse publics across Asia.

Programme Schedule:

DAY 1 (Tue, November 11)

• 12:00 – 13:00 Registration

• 13:00 – 14:00 Opening Panel: Setting the scene

  • Moderator: Thilina Heenatigala, Assistant Professor, Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI)

  • Panellist: Motoko Kotani, Executive Director of Science, RIKEN

  • Panellist: Anne Dijkstra, Associate Professor, University of Twente

  • Panellist: Fabien Medvecky, Associate Professor, Australian National University

  • Panellist: Ayumi Koso, Director, NBRP Public Relations Office, National Institutes of Genetics

  • Panellist: Magdeline Pokar, CEO, Asia Research News

• 14:00 – 15:00 Contributed Talks Session 1
  Theme 1: Education and Training

  • Su Yue, Soochow University, China: Research on the Application Boundaries and Guidance Mechanisms of Generative AI in Science Communication Course Assignments

  • Mrunal Nagaraj Kulkarni, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, India: Practice-led training in Science communication - A Dual approach to institutional science communication in India

  • Okumoto Motoko, Hokkaido University, Japan: Curriculum design  for science communicator training programmes in CoSTEP

  • Kazaho Tsumura, Kyoto University, Japan: Assessing the impact of a zoo educational program: ‘MIKKE’ for Animal welfare

  • Zhang Fangqi, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China: From Tool to Partner: Restructuring Workflows and Collaboration Strategies for Science Communicators in the AI Era

  • Guoyan Wang, Soochow University, China: Formal or Informal? A Panorama of Science Communication Education in China

  • Ayelet Baram-Tsabari, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Israel: Curricula for developing science communication competencies

  • Theme 2: Science and Society

  • Yukiko Muta, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan: Cultivating Local Ecological Knowledge: A Case of Japanese Dandelion Observation + Dialogue Workshop as a Practice-Based Science Communication Model

• 15:00 – 15:30 Coffee Break

• 15:30 – 16:30 Contributed Talks Session 2
  Theme 2: Science and Society

  • Takahide Kato, Miraikan - The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Japan: Co-Creating Future Medical Care: Public Engagement Practices at Miraikan

  • Chisa Mitsuhashi, Miraikan - The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Japan: Creating Opportunities for Non-Experts to Engage with Emerging Science and Technology — Advanced Initiatives at Miraikan

  • Ziwen Lei, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China: Media in Science Communication: Reconstructing Knowledge Production and Dissemination

  • Hao Xin, Zhejiang Provincial Federation for Science Popularization, China: From Solo to Symphony: Zhejiang’s Co-Creation Approach to Socialised Science Communication in China

  • Lucky Brian Dlamini, NRF - South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB), South Africa: Science for Societal Impact – A case study of the Transdisciplinary Project (IMIsEE Project)

  • Seiko Ishihara-Shineha, Jissen Women's University, Japan: Engaging Diverse Audiences Through Game Design: A Novel Science Communication Approach

  • Ayush Biswas, Fixing Futures Research Training Group/ Goethe University, Germany: Reframing Trust and Literacy: A Comparative Study of Vaccine Discourse Across Digital Platforms

  • Yingjia Huang, Peking University, China: Rethinking Vulnerability and Communication Inequality in East Asia: A Scoping Review of COVID-19 Science Communication Practices

• 16:30 – 17:15 Big Idea Keynote

  • Sujatha Raman, Director of the ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science / UNESCO Chair in Science Communication for the Public Good

• (Group photo will be taken after the keynote)

• 18:00 – 19:30 Movie Screening

DAY 2 (Wed, November 12)

• 09:00 – 09:30 Morning Coffee

• 09:30 – 10:30 Japan/Asia Panel: Past, Present, Future of SciComm

  • Moderator: Euan McKay, Associate Professor, Nagoya University

  • Panellist: Sook-kyoung Cho, Professor, Korea Institute of Energy Technology

  • Panellist: Hiromi Yokoyama, Professor, University of Tokyo

  • Panellist: Dongjing Kang, Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)

  • Panellist: Mikas Matsuzawa, Science Writing Team Head, Hiroshima University

  • Panellist: Tomomi Okubo, Media Relations Manager, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

• 10:30 – 12:30 Working Group Session 1

• 12:30 – 14:00 Lunch

• 14:00 – 16:00 Working Group Session 2

• 16:00 – 16:30 Coffee Break

• 16:30 – 17:15 Big Idea Keynote

  • TBC

• 17:45 – 20:00 Dinner

DAY 3 (Thu, November 13)

• 09:00 – 09:30 Morning Coffee

• 09:30 – 11:30 Working Group Discussion

• 11:30 – 12:30 Concluding Panel: Moving Forward

  • Moderator: Brian Lin, Director, Editorial Content Strategy, EurekAlert!

  • Panellist: Heather Doran, Public Engagement Manager, Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee

  • Panellist: Massimiano Bucchi, Professor, University of Trento

  • Panellist: Jen Martin, Associate Professor, University of Melbourne

  • Mohamed Elsonbaty, Co-founder, Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication

Post-Symposium Events (optional)

• 14:00 – 15:30 EurekAlert! Japan User Meeting

• 15:30 – 17:00 Workshops (in parallel)

  • Workshop 1

    • Preparing Impactful Press Releases and the Responsible Use of AI in Science Communication
      Presented by Springer Nature
      Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey Robens, Head of Community Engagement, Springer Nature

  • Workshop 2

    • Unlocking the Power of Branding for Universities
      Supported by Research University Consortium (RUC)
      Speaker: Professor Shirley Chong, Director of Communications and Institutional Research, City University of Hong Kong
      Facilitator: Project Professor Kasuhiro Sekiguchi, Headquarters for Co-Creation Strategy, National Institutes of Natural Sciences

  • Workshop 3

    • The Cost of Hype: Lessons from Misleading Science Stories
      Presented by Science Media Center of Japan
      Speaker: Motoko Kakubayashi, International Officer, Science Media Centre of Japan

  • Workshop 4

    • SciComm-AI Masterclass: GenAI to Communicate Science through Outreach
      Supported by Research University Consortium (RUC)
      Speaker: Mohamed Elsonbaty Ramadan, Founder, SciComm-AI, Co-Founder, Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication (AFSMC)
      Facilitator: David Kornhauser, Director, Global Communications, Kyoto University

VENUE

The symposium will be held at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science Tokyo, located in Ookayama, Tokyo. 

Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vi9GEhHJTL3hRAJT7

Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI)
Institute of Science Tokyo
2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku
Tokyo 152-8550, JAPAN

• Main venue: Digital Hall, Ookayama Campus, Institute of Science Tokyo. 

  • West Bldg. 9., 2-12-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.

• Dinner venue: Banquet will be held at Agora in ELSI-1 (Ishikawadai Bldg. 7.).

Hotels

Note regarding hotels

These are some recommended hotels in the area near the conference venue. We do not have any block bookings or discount agreements, so you will need to make your own reservations with the hotel. If these hotels are fully booked or you wish to stay in another part of Tokyo, the nearest stations to the conference venue are Ookoyama Station on the Tokyu Oimachi line and Tokyu Meguro line, or Ishiwakadai Station on the Tokyu Ikegami line. Visit the ELSI website for access information.

Oimachi area

Via Inn Tokyo Oimachi

One minute from Oimachi station. From Oimachi to Ookayama it takes 11 minutes on the Tokyu Oimachi Line. You can take either the local train or the express train.

Ours Inn Hankyu

One minute from Oimachi station. From Oimachi to Ookayama it takes 11 minutes on the Tokyu Oimachi Line. You can take either the local train or the express train.

Gotanda area

Gotanda Arietta Hotel

Five minutes from Gotanda station. From Gotanda to Ookayama, either take the Tokyu Ikegami Line to Hatanodai and then change to the Oimachi Line, or take the JR Yamanote Line to Meguro and then change to the Meguro Line (both take 15 minutes).

Partners

Sponsors

COffee sponsor

supporters

ENdorsed by

• The Science Communication Society of Japan (SCSJ)

• Japan Association of Communication for Science and Technology (JACST)

• Japanese Society for Science and Technology Studies (JSSTS)

• Japanese Association of Science Communication (JASC)

• Japanese Association of Science and Technology Journalists (JASTJ)