Bringing scientific to life: Successful workshop on effective poster design and compelling poster presenting
How can complex research be presented clearly, creatively and convincingly on a poster?
And how can one present this scientific work on a poster concisely and effectively in just five minutes?
Eleven early-career reearchers discovered the answers to these questions (and more) during the one-and-a-half-day workshop 鈥楨ffective Poster Design and Presentation鈥�, which took place in early June 2026 as an in-person event at Ulm University.
The workshop was organised by the early-career researchers鈥� organisation ProTrainU.
The workshop was led by the internationally renowned science communicator Dr Barry W. Fitzgerald. The Irish physicist, who lives in the Netherlands, has been inspiring people with a passion for science for years 鈥� often using unusual examples from the worlds of Santa Claus, superheroes, and popular culture.
As founder of his own company BW Science, science communicator at Eindhoven University of Technology, and presenter, speaker, and coach, he combines scientific excellence with exceptional communication skills. He had already captivated the audience with his engaging talk at the Ulm University's Young Researchers' Science Day in October 2024 .
During the workshop, Fitzgerald provided a practical introduction to the key principles of effective poster design and the successful presenting of a poster during a scientific poster session. Participants were invited to submit their own research work, previous posters, or presentations in advance of the workshop, so that the workshop content could be tailored specifically to their individual projects and needs.
Following an introduction to the key elements needed to create a compelling poster, the focus of the first afternoon was on the practical implementation of the lessons learned that morning. Drawing on their own research data, the early-career researchers developed new poster designs. Throughout the process, they were able to draw on Fitzgerald鈥檚 immediate feedback and expertise at any time. The finished posters were printed on the same day and prepared for a poster session to place the following day.
On the second day of the workshop, the participants presented their research findings under conditions closely resembling those of an actual conference, during a poster session in front of a jury.
The participants assessed each other using a peer-review evaluation system. Assessment was also supplemented by a jury comprising members of the ProTrainU Scientific Board.
Poster design, the ability to pitch the poster in a clear manner, and the performance during the questions and answers were assessed for each participant by both the participants themselves and the ProTrainU jury.
The results were all outstanding, and the participants crafted and presented a unique set of innovative poster designs about their research.
There were two overall winners from the poster presenting session. The winner as selected by the participants was Sina Beck, while the winner selected by the ProTrainU jury was Gerrit Herrmann. Both Sina and Gerrit received a copy of one of Barry Fitzgerald鈥檚 popular science books (he鈥檚 written four books so far) and a Lego set as prizes for their efforts. Congratulations to Sina and Gerrit on their success!
The workshop impressively demonstrated how important professional science communication is for early-career researchers. After all, good research deserves to be seen, understood, and enthusiastically shared.
