Meet Brendon Bosworth

Hi, I’m Brendon. I’m a communications specialist and science communication trainer. I am the principal consultant at Human Element Communications.

I launched Human Element Communications in 2018 with the goal of making research on topics of global concern more accessible to non-specialists. I believe in the power of human connection to help make facts and figures relatable and apply a narrative-based and solutions-oriented approach to all of my work.

I am committed to ensuring that research that contributes to solving global challenges reaches audiences beyond academic institutions, particularly in the African context.

My experience

I have worked with leading international organisations and institutes, including UNEP, FAO, UN-Habitat, CARE, the African Centre for Cities and African Climate and Development Initiative (both at the University of Cape Town), the Deepening Democracy Programme, and the World Urban Forum.

Before starting Human Element Communications, I was a communications officer for the Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions project (ASSAR), a multi-partner initiative researching barriers and enablers to effective adaptation in the semi-arid regions of six African countries and India.

In my former role as a journalist, I was a correspondent for U.S. publication Citiscope, where I wrote about international urban issues and covered the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

I am a Fulbright scholar (2010-2012) and have a master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, with a graduate certificate in Environment, Policy, and Society, from the University of Colorado Boulder.

I am also a photographer. My photography has been featured in exhibitions in South Africa and abroad.

Science communication training

After years of interviewing scientists, and then working with scientists to share their work, one of my main goals is to improve the quality of science communication. To do that, I run a communication training course for researchers with Dr. Tali Hoffman.

We have run the course with over 300 people. We have trained researchers from UNEP, FAO, the African Climate and Development Initiative (University of Cape Town), the South African Research Chair: Mineral Law in Africa (University of Cape Town), the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Climate and Development (University of Cape Town, University of Ghana, University of Nairobi), and the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Environment and Sustainability.

In 2022, we launched a science communication microcredential offered by the University of Saskatchewan.