We invited Radhika Patnala to tell us about her career in Science Illustration. Here, Radhika talks about some responsibilities and skills in this unique field that combines science and art. She also offers some advice to those who are interested in pursuing a career in science illustration.
About Radhika Patnala
Radhika’s Ph.D. focused on the areas of neuroscience, inflammation, and epigenetics. Currently, she strives to bridge the line between science, art, and design through her role as the Founder and Director of Sci-Illustrate. This creative agency based in Munich, Germany provides various Life Science companies, research universities, and organizations with a scientifically-informed platform for their needs in design, science communication, and marketing.
Describe the path to your current position. What role did your Ph.D. play?
Sci-Illustrate is a bootstrapped venture created by blending my passion for science and art with a goal to enhance science communication. It was built with a lot of resilience and immense support from my family. Giving myself permission to fail while carefully setting small but consistent milestones, paved the way for Sci-Illustrate to contribute in various spheres of biotechnology, healthcare, and science communication.
My research experiences from versatile fields allow me to better understand and solve my clients’ problems in design and communication. My Ph.D. training helped in building resilience towards failure and uncertainty. Working in a research environment has taught me how to manage teams and collaborate with others – these qualities lay an essential foundation for any business.
What is a typical day/week for your job position? Tell us about the different projects at Sci-Illustrate!
My typical week is filled with client meetings, internal meetings with team members for various projects and their execution. Sci-Illustrate has worked with clients from various life-science and healthcare sectors spread across the world. We also conduct workshops regularly to train life scientists and healthcare professionals in science illustration.
Examples of some projects at Sci-Illustrate include 2-D/3-D visualization of biomedical products; motion graphics and 2-D illustration to make compelling visuals to tell scientific, medical and pharmaceutical stories. I, with my team of artists and content editors work on an inspiring in-house project called the WIS series under Sci-Illustrate Stories, where we tell stories about Women in Science.
From your experience, what does a company/organization look for in candidates applying for a position in scientific illustration?
One will look for a candidate’s skills and interest in Science Communication. The following soft skills are essential to meet the demands of this field: Communication, Project management, Reliability and Organization to manage deadlines. Utilizing design software such as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop is an important technical skill. Successful candidates show experience in leading different initiatives that can demonstrate these skills and their interests.
Why is science illustration important and what do you find most exciting in this field?
There is an unmet need for effectively communicating research among scientists themselves and further relaying it to non-scientists. Illustration is a highly efficient form of communication and it makes science more accessible. I love solving real-world science communication problems for researchers and science illustration allows me to bring science closer to the public.
What advice do you have for the current graduate students looking into work in this field?
It is crucial to be very clear about the kind of science communication avenue that you would be interested in pursuing: Is it science/medical illustration, public outreach, scientific/medical writing, or science journalism? All of these fields require very different skill sets. Once you gain clarity on the avenue of interest, you can begin to hone your skills in that specific direction.
Interview by Pankajam Thyagarajan
Get into Science Illustration
If you wish to explore a career in science or medical illustration/science communication, start now! Here are some resources to get you informed and active:
- Science Illustration: Picture perfect
- Association of Medical Illustrators
- Resource for science and medical illustration: SciArtNOW
- Resource for science communication: The Open Notebook