Turning research into stories people connect with
Digital Content Strategist · March 2025 to present
I manage 7+ digital channels for UT’s Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors, including UT Research, Good Systems, Planet Texas 2050 and Whole Communities–Whole Health.
My role: story research, social copy, visual content, accessibility, stakeholder review, publishing and reporting. I adapt each story for its audience and platform, from professional context on LinkedIn to visual discovery on Instagram and timely conversation on X.
First-year shared results: 1.36M impressions (+148.6%), 13,524 link clicks (+114.4%) and 56.7% total audience growth across OVPR-managed channels.
March 3, 2025 to March 3, 2026, compared with the prior reporting year. Source: OVPR Social Media Performance Summary, Year 1. Results reflect the wider communications team’s work.
Selected work below spans Instagram carousels, a photo post, short-form video, LinkedIn, X and email design.
Digital twins: a five-slide story
Instagram collaboration · September 24, 2026
I led with the human benefit, then explained the technology through a tangible example: faster tsunami forecasts. Stakeholder review kept the science accurate.
Published caption excerpt:
“A UT-led team recently demonstrated the life-saving potential of digital twin technology by building a replica of a major ocean fault zone in the Pacific Northwest.”
My contribution: carousel development, social copy, alternative text, revisions and coordination with UT Austin, Oden and TACC. Research imagery and scientific reporting came from UT contributors.
233,858 views · 98,350 reached · 312 shares · 312 saves
Shared post results shown in Buffer on September 28, 2026. Collaboration distribution contributed to reach.
Explore the work
Video editing · Jaxsen Day
A work-in-progress research reel with interviews, demonstration footage and explanatory text.
LinkedIn & X · Good Systems
One event, two approaches to the invitation.
Instagram photo & Reel · UT Research
Researcher recognition and accessible science storytelling.
LinkedIn research story · Whole Communities–Whole Health
A familiar subject becomes a way into complex research.
Email design · UT Research
A collaborative quarterly newsletter.
One event, two editorial approaches
LinkedIn + X | Good Systems
For an Austin Forum discussion featuring UT’s Julie Schell, I adapted the invitation to each feed. LinkedIn gives readers more context about AI in education and workplace training. X puts the central tension into one question and moves quickly to registration.
LinkedIn opening:
“What changes when an AI tutor enters the classroom?”
X opening:
“How can AI support learning without weakening integrity or critical thinking?”
My contribution: social copy, platform adaptation, partner tagging, event details and calls to action. Event artwork is credited to the Austin Forum.
A photo with a story to tell
Instagram photo post | UT Research
“A moment worth celebrating! 👏”
A single event photograph becomes a story when the caption explains who is pictured, what the recognition means and why the work matters. This post introduces five Celebration of Research award recipients and points readers toward the larger event story.
My contribution: social campaign content, caption development, tagging and publishing coordination. Event photography is credited to UT contributors.
87,185 views
Shared post results shown in Buffer on September 28, 2026. Published April 8, 2026.
Jaxsen Day: making research accessible
Short-form research video · 1:27
I created this vertical reel to introduce UT doctoral student Jaxsen Day’s work on AI tools for more accessible academic reading. The edit moves from a plain-language explanation of screen readers into interview footage and a demonstration, connecting the research to everyday use.
My contribution: video editing, story structure, on-screen explanatory copy, captions and stakeholder revisions.
Work in progress · September 2026
Version 2 is shown here as a portfolio preview. This reel is not final and has not yet been published on social media.
Making quantum research approachable
Instagram Reel | UT Research
“What happens when light is used to control quantum materials? 💡”
This question gives viewers outside the field a way into Edoardo Baldini’s research. The caption introduces the researcher, explains the discovery in plain language and connects it to potential future uses while preserving the science’s uncertainty.
My contribution: social copy, platform adaptation, accessible content preparation and publishing coordination within the Celebration of Research campaign. Research and original video production are credited to UT contributors.
8,011 views
Shared post results shown in Buffer on September 28, 2026. Published April 24, 2026. Image: original campaign video preview.
A Jane Austen rabbit hole
Instagram carousel · National Book Lovers Day · August 9, 2026
A timely cultural moment became a way into UT scholarship. Four slides introduce Janine Barchas through a question, connect her graphic biography to an interactive digital project and give readers two ways to explore further.
Published caption opening:
“A Jane Austen rabbit hole for National Book Lovers Day.”
My contribution: content planning and preparation, review coordination, scheduling and collaboration outreach to the College of Liberal Arts. Scholarship, book artwork, photography and research materials belong to their credited contributors.
15,346 views · 280 shares
Shared post results in Buffer, September 28, 2026.
The air we breathe, written in hair
LinkedIn | Whole Communities–Whole Health
“Hair can tell a detailed story about the air we breathe. 🌱”
I used a familiar, tangible subject to introduce a research method and explain the initiative’s early support. The caption connects laboratory work to everyday environments while keeping the researchers and evidence at the center.
The campaign draft includes separate Instagram and Facebook adaptations, with a different hook and level of detail for each audience.
My contribution: social copy and platform adaptation. Scientific research and source photography are credited to their contributors. The photograph shown is a supporting campaign asset.
Research Administrator Day
People-centered storytelling | September 2026
I developed social drafts around award recipients and the research administrator community. The work involved finding the human angle, adapting copy for LinkedIn and X, and preparing tags, links, and alternative text for stakeholder review.
From my LinkedIn draft:
“Each year, UT research administrators help submit more than 3,000 proposals. They build complex budgets, navigate changing sponsor requirements and meet tight deadlines. After funding arrives, they help manage more than 4,400 active sponsored projects, supporting research that changes lives and communities.”
The opening turns institutional scale into concrete work readers can recognize. The rest of the post thanks the community and names the year’s honorees.
My contribution: social copy, accessibility text, content preparation, and review coordination. The event photograph and underlying reporting are collaborative UT materials.
Research, collaboration & delivery
From story research to publication
1. Find the audience connection. Research the subject and identify a detail that makes it relevant beyond the field.
2. Shape the content. Develop the hook, copy and visual format, then prepare captions and alternative text.
3. Coordinate review. Gather source materials, confirm facts with contributors and incorporate stakeholder feedback.
4. Finish for the channel. Check asset versions, links, tags and accessibility, then schedule and review performance.
The system behind the stories
Asana keeps requests, contributors and deadlines visible. Buffer supports scheduling and reporting. Zapier connects recurring workflows.
I keep each deliverable moving through a clear sequence: brief → draft → stakeholder review → revisions → approval → publishing → reporting. Shared asset folders and current versions make handoffs easier when a deadline or story changes.
This is a simplified description of my working process; internal project records are not reproduced here.
Spring 2026 Quarterly Update
I helped design this collaborative UT Research newsletter, organizing a range of research news and institutional updates into a consistent email layout.
My contribution: Design support. The publication’s writing, subject matter, and approvals involved the wider team.
This excerpt shows how hierarchy, spacing, and brand consistency help readers navigate several stories within one communication.
1,361,037
Impressions, up from 547,533
13,524
Clicks, up from 6,307
+56.7%
Total audience growth
Shared results
What the reporting tells me
In the first-year comparison, engagement rate rose from 1.5% to 2.1% alongside the reach and click growth shown above. I use these measures to identify which stories prompt interest, which channels bring readers to research and what to try next.
Reporting period: March 3, 2025 to March 3, 2026, compared with March 3, 2024 to March 2, 2025. Source: OVPR Social Media Performance Summary, Year 1.
These are shared channel results. Total audience size grew 56.7%; the report records 5,593 net new followers as a separate measure.
Continue exploring
From digital stories to event production
See how I bring the same editorial judgment and contributor coordination to conference promotion, speaker videos and production materials.