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After another successful year of having a Trainee Press Officer with us at the SMC, we are now looking for the next trainee!

 

Trainee Press Officer

Salary: £27,008

1 year, fixed term

Location: London (Euston). We’re an office-based organisation and staff are expected to be in the office as default five days a week.

To start: ideally Monday 15 September 2025

Application deadline: 9 am Monday 7 July 2025

Interviews: in person at our London office, Monday 21 July 2025

 

The Science Media Centre is looking for our next Trainee Press Officer after our second year-long Traineeship comes to its end. This is the perfect role for someone with a passion for science who wants a career in science media relations.  It focuses on the messy, contested science stories that hit the news headlines as well as science that is open to mis-reporting.  This is an office-based role in a fast-moving, open-plan team based in the Wellcome Collection building.

 

The traineeship will be a one-year contract, and the successful candidate will be trained to:

  • Respond to media enquiries from national and international news outlets;
  • Gather comments from scientists on breaking news or new research findings on topics as varied as infectious diseases, AI, mental health, diet and nutrition, cancer, and climate change;
  • Monitor the top scientific journals on a daily basis and identify new findings which need expert comment;
  • Add scientists to the SMC database;
  • Contribute to editorial decisions about press conferences.

 

Candidates should have:

  • A degree or equivalent in science;
  • A proven interest in science in the news;
  • Enthusiasm to act at a junior level and work in high pressure environment.

 

You can find a copy of the Trainee Press Officer role profile here

 

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Ed Day, Press Officer, on ed@sciencemediacentre.org or 07990 040 298 / 0207 611 8321, or Joely Merriman, the current Trainee Press Officer, on joely@sciencemediacentre.org or 0207 611 8344.

 

If you wish to apply please send your C.V. and a covering letter to jobs@sciencemediacentre.org detailing why you want this particular role and how you fit the role requirements. Your covering letter should not be more than one side of A4 long.

 

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