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• Better Posters - A Blog Academic conference posters are often ugly, with tiny text, confusing layouts, and dubious colour schemes. Better Posters is about making posters informative and beautiful.
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• Jun 21, 2021

Best examples of scientific posters

Looking for inspiration for your next scientific conference poster?

Imagine - it’s now 8 pm at a conference you’re attending.

You’re tired after sitting through five back-to-back sessions of graphs, error bars and statistics. You remember that one guy sitting in front of you from Session 2 who could barely keep their eyes open and someone else who spilled their coffee onto the floor.

People are tired.

But they also want to get excited again before the day ends. Free food and drink is up for grabs in the next session! What’s the next session you ask?

Well of course it’s the conference poster session!

The doors to the session hall open up and you’re greeted by a literal art gallery of scientific work. Or at least, some of them could be considered art. Oh boy here we go.

Ah no, not the person on poster #37 who pasted their PowerPoint slides onto an A0 sheet of paper.

And definitely not the other person on poster #49 with that intimidating wall of text made up of manuscript pages.

Where have all the good posters gone?

Unfortunately, not all scientific posters are visually attractive. As a result, these posters are at best less likely to strike a conversation with attendees - at worst making attendees run away from you!

A well-designed scientific poster tells everyone in the hall a lot about you: about the way you present your work, about your skills in graphic design, about the amount of effort you put into your story.

Your poster is your story.

But what is it that makes a poster really stand out ? What design elements catch your attention from across the room? What makes you want to start that conversation with the presenter?

In this blog, Dr Juan Miguel Balbin, Science Communicator at Animate Your Science, showcases real-world examples of good scientific posters, appraises them from a design perspective and reverse-engineers their components.

A good poster leads to a good first impression

If you believe your research is ground-breaking, then it deserves to be recognised with some added polish!

Your poster is your ultimate networking tool. It’s your secret weapon for when you’re trying to catch the eye of that hotshot professor who you want to collaborate with (or get in touch with for that post-doc position in the Swiss Alps). Unfortunately, that hotshot professor is likely a very busy person and is cherry-picking who they want to talk to before they disappear off to the bar, wine glass in hand.

You’ve got to make sure you get noticed before that happens. And what better way to show off your colours than with your scientific poster?

Poster appraisal

Here we showcase four examples of very well-made scientific posters from real-world research. They incorporate several design elements that we discuss in our How to Design an Award-winning Poster course - our tried and true recipe for success! Here, we will reverse-engineer and highlight the merits of each poster one-by-one and highlight:

first impression (gotta express my feelings about art, you know?)

colour scheme (with a palette you can use on your own poster using the Eyedropper tool )

layout ( the “skeleton” of a poster )

other features of note

what could be improved?

Let the artshow begin!

Example #1 : James Bond vs. Superbugs

First impression

Right off the bat the thing that really catches your attention is the graphical abstract designed like a comic-book strip. A poster can serve as entertainment just as much as it can communicate science! Who wouldn’t want to overturn an evil mastermind superbacterium?!

This poster was so successful and memorable that Dr Katharina Richter was contacted by attendees afterwards, referencing her as “the female James Bond”. Now that’s one way to make a lasting impression!

The results? A new collaboration, a co-authorship and an invitation to write a book!

To the point and uses catchy alliteration - from b ench to b edside. Not littered with jargon, and is between 5-15 words. It’s also positioned 2/3 to the right, which is a visual hotspot in photography theory according to the rule of thirds .

Colour scheme

Blue’s the theme here. To contrast, the splash of red as an accent really draws your eyes in onto the graphical abstract from far away. Headings are very clear with the contrast between white and blue.

The most eye-catching posters will have a picture that takes up a large chunk of the page as the focal point , which is exactly what the graphical abstract is doing.

Text is minimal and is straight to the point. With short sentences, you won’t get lost while reading.

Sections are neatly split in two columns and have a consistent margin thickness to keep it neatly aligned and tidy! Your eyes can easily follow the intended order of sections from left to right.

A small handful of figures that have your key findings are all you need.

If you’re standing by your poster, you also don’t need any pre-amble text for your figures. You do the talking, the figures will figure the rest out (pun unintended, I promise!). The figure legends are enough to inform passing readers, who will then want to follow up with you after!

Other features of note

QR codes are the symbol of a modern science poster! You’ve given people the prologue to your story, why not link them to the rest of the adventure in the manuscript?

What could be improved?

The layout would benefit from more negative space for your eyes to rest on. It can also be easy to get lost in a paragraph, so increasing the spacing between lines would also help generate more negative space.

Example #2 : Fancy a finch?

My eyes are instantly drawn to the beautiful photo of the finch from across the room - you know what the study is about without even reading the title!

Yet more clever alliteration between the words f lexible, f oraging and f inch. It neatly summarises the study within 5-15 words in a large font size for increased visibility in the conference hall!

The author of this poster was clever to base their colour scheme on the photo of the finch, thanks to the handy eyedropper tool! The earthy colours come from the head (gray-brown), cheek (white), tail feathers (gray-black) and beak (orange).

A neat white margin hugs the poster from all sides, and while aesthetically pleasing it also doubles as a bleed margin for printing.

Rectangular textboxes are staggered across the poster to neatly scaffold each piece of information - this makes it easier to follow. Do you notice how the shapes of these rectangles are sized so that they neatly surround the shapes of the finch? Even the text is justified in a way that it doesn’t overlap with the finch. This is a useful technique when you’re using adding text next to images that have an irregular shape.

This poster is a great example of what posters are meant to do - showcase the best of your data . And no this doesn’t mean all of your data! With only a handful of figures, your take-home messages are more likely to land.

The graphs also neatly incorporate the colour scheme into the data points. All praises to you if you do this, don’t be lazy!

A divider is used to package all of the meat of the poster into one block. This ensures everything outside of the divider except for the title is untouched from clutter and ensures that there’s negative space .

Having a solid colour for the poster with minimal clutter and large spacing will ensure your eyes don’t get lost, and that the photo stays as the primary focal point .

Honestly, it’s hard to critique this one! Though if I were to pick a point, it would be to have a small take-home message section that summarises your study and its conclusions. The font sizes should be consistent throughout the figures as well.

Example #3 : All about crabs!

We’re starting to sense a pattern here. You guessed it - that big ol’ crab in the middle makes for one big first impression! The poster overall is beautiful with loads of different kinds of visuals - there isn’t a single boring-looking section!

Clever use of a double meaning main title - “sizing up” referring to evaluating, or critically assessing, as well as in reference to measuring crabs in the study. The job of the main title is to catch your attention. Below that, there’s also a subtitle where you can add the nitty-gritty details of your study.

A vibrant display of three accent colours are used equally across the poster, contrasting with the black. Guess where they got the colours from? That’s right, using the eyedropper tool on the crab!

Here we have a two column layout, similar to Example #1 , with cleverly titled headings. Note that none of the headings are your typical “Introduction”, “Results” and “Conclusion”. Instead, each title is written to show some personality. Save the formal headings for the manuscript!

Like Example #2 , the text is neatly justified around the center circle so everything fits nice and snug!

Have you noticed several bits of text are accompanied by a symbol or icon ? Icons are fantastic for giving each section some visual context, i.e. a boat to describe how they collected their crabs. Pictures speak for you!

All of the data has also neatly incorporated the accent colours to ensure they stick out. And by limiting it to just two graphs , it sticks out even more!

Remember - your poster is a networking tool, so give people ways to find you! Twitter is the home of academics on social media so add your Twitter handle and a photo !

Like with Example #1 , more negative space is needed especially with a busy black background. I would merge the methods sections together and have one space to rest your eyes on. Less is definitely more!

Example #4 : Cheese is serious business!

Did you see those 3D effects on the milk around the cheese? Now that’s the sort of picture that literally pops out of the poster! I’d definitely want to follow up with this presenter.

Different parts of the title are in bold or a different colour to make each separate variable in their study stand out. From a distance, you can easily see “Bovine cheese-making milk” as the main topic, with the remainder of the text in a darker colour.

Earthy colours are, in my opinion, less distracting (and less stressful on your retinas) than brighter, more vibrant colours. Instead, it allows accent colours to pop out more, as you can see with the baby blue highlights and the vibrant yellow cheese.

With a landscape poster you can afford to scaffold your sections in more columns , in this case four. Spread out, people! And despite the relatively hefty amount of text, there’s a neat margin between sections that allow your eyes to rest on negative space .

Also much like with Example #1 , this poster respects the rule of thirds by placing the big cheese 1/3 across the page to make it more visually striking.

The graphs and table have neatly incorporated the primary and accent colours of brown and baby blue (a round of applause to the presenter for opening up their graph files to change the colours just for the poster!).

Having the graphs be large and imposing makes them much easier to read and interpret. They’ve also neatly tucked the figure legends underneath the graphs to package it all together in a neat box. You won’t be confused as to which legend goes to which figure!

If your supervisor insists on having a fairly large amount of text, do what this poster does and indent your text into paragraphs. With an indent, you’ll know where one paragraph ends and where the next one starts, and you won’t get lost in the sea of words!

Definitely chop down the words (if you can resist the temptation) and up the body text font size! You know how people win prizes for those competitions that ask you to describe something in 150 words or less? You’re also more likely to get that prize at a conference with this same tip. Let’s try with <250 words to begin with.

Take-home messages for your next poster

Make use of one big key visual to grab people’s attention.

Come up with a colour scheme of 4-5 colours and stick to it.

Less is more! Fewer words on print means you’ve got more to actually talk about

Are you excited to put some ideas into practice for your next scientific poster? We go into far greater detail about making your posters amazing in our How to Design an Award-winning Poster course , so check it out! And if you found this blog useful, please consider subscribing to our newsletter!

Until next time!

Dr Juan Miguel Balbin

Dr Tullio Rossi

#scientificposters #Twitter

Related Posts

How to Design an Award-Winning Scientific Conference Poster

Best scientific poster templates for PowerPoint

How to Select a Great Colour Scheme for Your Scientific Poster

Stop spending hours resizing and aligning boxes on your poster.

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Using Poster Builder is a really, really nice experience— it only took me a day to put together a poster . The same poster would probably take me a week to do in PowerPoint.

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Scientific Poster Building

Jump to initial planning , layout and format , or presentation

Plan Your Research Poster

Before you even open Powerpoint or other poster making software, you want to plan out what you will show and sketch it on paper.  We start with the meat of the poster - your data - and work forward to your conclusions and the backwards to the background the audience needs to understand your work.

Plan out your poster layout

Posters in our department should typically be formated to: 40 inches wide x 27.5 inches high

You can make a "custom slide" of this size in Powerpoint.

Presenting Your Poster

The above information is adapted from the American Society of Plant Biology's poster advice.

Research in the Biological and Life Sciences: A Guide for Cornell Researchers: Poster Making and Printing

• Books and Dissertations
• Databases and Journals
• Locating Theses
• Resource Not at Cornell?
• Citing Sources
• Staying Current
• Measuring your research impact
• Plagiarism and Copyright
• Data Management
• Literature Reviews
• Evidence Synthesis and Systematic Reviews
• Writing an Honors Thesis
• Poster Making and Printing
• Research Help

Useful links and resources

• Colin Purrington's Designing conference posters Great (and funny) guide to designing scientific posters. Also has useful poster templates
• NCSU's tutorial on poster design Excellent tutorial on creating and presenting scientific posters
• 60 Second Poster Evaluation Link to poster evaluation criteria from NCSU
• Sample posters from exercise Some of the sample posters from NCSU used in our exercise
• Cornell Center for Materials Research guide to poster design and printing This site has great Step by step poster design tutorials and templates in the lefthand navigation bar.
• UNC graduate school's poster and presentation resources Good roundup of links to poster making and presentation advice
• Developing Poster Presentations in the Social Sciences
• Plotter printing at Mann
• Finding Images at Cornell guide
• Other free poster templates at PosterPresentations.com
• Cornell logos from visual identity site Scroll down to Logo Assets to find logos
• Creative Commons Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation. You can also find CC searches in Google Images (under the gear icon in Advanced Search) and other sites like Flickr
• Google Images Advanced Search In Google Advanced Search you can choose a large image size, a particular image type or color, public domain images from .gov sites, or Creative Commons licensed images under usage rights.

VIDEO: How to create a better research poster in less time (including templates)

This 20-minute video created by Mike Morrison of the Open Science Framework, proposes a better way to make research posters by avoiding the "wall of text" approach. Presentation templates to accompany the video are also available.

VIDEO: Making an academic research poster-the how to

This useful 10 minute tutorial from Jerry Overmyer of the University of Northern Colorado's Mathematics and Science Teaching (MAST) Institute walks you through the basics of adding text and images to a PowerPoint poster template.   

Poster Session PPT

• Poster Printing at Mann Overview of the 3 plotters at Mann and how to use them to print out a poster

Presentation Resources

Creating a poster is one thing, but creating an effective presentation is another. The links below can help you get started and talk about general design issues, both practical, and further on, theoretical. For more specific resources on software, check the library catalog for the subject Microsoft PowerPoint (Computer file).

• Presentation Zen blog
• Presentation Zen Design
• Designing Effective Presentations
• The cognitive style of PowerPoint
• Beyond bullet points : using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 to create presentations that inform, motivate, and inspire
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Blog Data Visualization 12 Scientific Poster Examples [And How To Create One]

12 Scientific Poster Examples [And How To Create One]

Written by: Ivonna Cabrera Jul 02, 2023

Truth be told, scientific posters are effective at piquing interest. It’s incredible how graphics and presentation style can attract audiences.

Want to make a scientific poster but don’t know how? Well, you no longer need to be a design guru if you use Venngage’s Poster Maker .

You can speed up the process even more by using our scientific poster templates.

Before I dive right into scientific poster examples, let’s discuss what scientific posters are in the first place.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a scientific poster?

Best examples of scientific posters, how to create a scientific poster, what makes a good scientific poster.

• What you need to make a scientific poster
• What’s the purpose of a scientific or research poster?

A scientific poster is a visual presentation of research findings or scientific information shared with audiences at conferences, symposiums, and academic events. Scientific posters generally provide information on topics their authors are currently discussing.

Many scientists, researchers and medical experts use scientific posters to explain their findings in a simple and easy-to-understand format.

Of course, text isn’t the best way to show how scientific posters work.

So, I’ll let these examples do the talking.

Academic scientific poster examples

An academic scientific poster presents complicated information in a visually appealing manner.

Choosing the right poster layout is important here. Generally, sections such as an introduction, use, process, and takeaways allow students to understand a process or concept in a step-by-step method.

Here’s a great example of a scientific poster that discusses distillation:

Just so you know, some of our scientific poster templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee. Sign up is always free, as is access to Venngage’s online drag-and-drop editor.

Often, it’s also important to separate information into categories and develop data in a clear and concise manner.

Is your scientific poster focused on environmental issues? Explore our gallery of environmental poster templates for inspiration and designs tailored to your topic.

Chemistry poster examples

Chemistry posters play a vital role in the scientific community by highlighting the importance of chemistry as a subject.

They also promote a deeper understanding of its principles and applications.

Here’s a great example:

A chemistry poster is usually organized in a logical and structured manner to effectively convey information.

Here are some common elements you can find in chemistry posters:

• Introduction

Here’s another example of a chemistry poster that displays only the abstract to hook the reader.

Lab poster examples

Lab posters are effective at sharing scientific knowledge, promoting discussion and collaboration, and disseminating research findings.

They provide a visual platform to showcase research efforts and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in various fields of study.

In the lab poster below, the impact of overeating and binge drinking on the health of college students is presented in a format that anyone can understand the takeaway in a single glance.

Now that you know everything about scientific posters, it’s time to create your own.

Step 1 – Sign up for a free Venngage account

Start the process by  signing up  for Venngage with your email, Gmail or Facebook account.

Step 2 – Select a template from our library

Besides the examples above, you’ll find a sizeable collection of poster templates and specifically scientific posters to choose from.

There’s a template for every need, from a scientific poster for a case study review to templates focused on presenting complex data.

Step 3 – Edit your scientific poster with our editor

All our scientific poster templates can be edited using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Feel free to change the colors, text, icons, or illustrations to make the design your own or simply input your data to have an optimized scientific poster in minutes.

Step 4 – Bring your scientific poster to life with icons, illustrations and branding elements

Venngage offers 40,000 icons and illustrations to help you visualize and bring a scientific poster to life.

If you upgrade to a  Business  account, you can also enjoy  My Brand Kit  — the one-click branding kit that lets you upload your logo and apply brand colors and fonts to any design.

Step 5 – Share a link to your scientific poster or upgrade to download

Once you upgrade to a  Business  account, you can download your scientific poster as a PNG, PDF, or interactive PDF.

But you can always share your scientific poster online for free.

Searching for a tech poster template? Explore these tech poster designs for useful and innovative templates.

A good scientific poster is often an attractive and easy-to-read presentation of scientific research .

They may include images, diagrams, graphs and tables, and they often focus on one or two main points.

Combining data and design together makes it easy for readers to dissect information easily, thanks to an attention-grabbing layout, simplified language and easy-to-follow jargon explanations where necessary.

A lot of layouts allow you to prioritize information and separate it into circles or boxes, like in the template above.

This type of poster design allows the reader to consume less time when reading the full context of a situation.

What do you need to make a useful scientific poster?

This is the section you’ve been waiting for — the best way to make a scientific poster from scratch.

Read on to learn about the steps below, and they come with easy-to-follow examples, too.

Study good scientific or academic poster examples

Venngage has great scientific poster templates for your first scientific poster. You can customize these templates using Venngage’s drag-and-drop editor.

Let’s take a look at each of them below.

The sparse but surgically precise use of text here contrasts the lush use of plants to explain photosynthesis.

Short explanations can be accompanied by explainer text in corner resource boxes that discuss the other details of photosynthesis.

Good science poster examples are readable from 10 feet away

There are many reasons why posters should be readable from 10 feet away.

The main reason is to allow readers to fully understand the concept from where they stand or walk.

For example, in a school or office hall, bulletin boards are usually 5 to 10 feet away from potential viewers. A poster that can be viewed within this range entices the audience to come closer and read the details.

School posters effectively engage students by presenting visual content that reinforces learning objectives or communicates important information. Browse our collection of school poster templates for inspiration and ideas.

The second reason is to allow readers to quickly comprehend the poster.

People usually don’t have time to stop and read a poster. In a school or office, everyone’s walking to do something urgently.

Thus, you don’t want to take up too much of your time reading jargon and difficult concepts that even academic peers can take hours to read and interpret.

Being readable from 10 feet away makes it easy for readers to understand your research.

You can use varying font sizes to create great posters. For digital campaigns, make sure that your posters are suitable for modern browsers.

Venngage’s  My Brand Kit  feature allows you to create posters that help your audience understand valuable info.

This is a special tool for Business accounts that allows you to upload logos, choose fonts, and set color palettes to your scientific posters .

Use our real-time collaboration feature to invite team members and work together. You can also leave comments and get feedback instantly.

Alternatively, share your design online, on social media, or via email completely for free.

Make an attention-grabbing, short headline

Attention-grabbing headlines are easy for science articles and posters.

It’s always thrilling to find out about a new plant species or discoveries that debunk old theories.

It’s a good idea to use best practices in making attention-grabbing headlines, even if it is just casual scientific content for social media.

Titles that draw attention and engagement include:

• Trending topics Create headlines according to what is trending. For example, if your study discusses climate change , align your headline to this topic to engage readers.
• Controversial developments An old textbook fact being false is a controversial and surprising topic which you can easily sum up in a headline.
• Issues that address curiosity Humans are naturally curious, so tickling the audience’s curiosity is a great way to create a compelling and attention-grabbing headline.

Use bullets and numbering to make a list easier to read

Bullets, lists and clear language are all tools that improve readability.

Even without fancy graphics and poster backgrounds , a short-sentence, simple-worded post with bullets and lists makes it easy to understand any topic.

Bulleted lists make each subtopic of your scientific poster easy to read. Plus, it allows readers to jump from one subtopic to another without feeling like they missed information along the way.

Designers of scientific posters find it easier to design bulleted and list content because they can place every bullet in different sections, making the poster easy to read.

If you used bullets instead of boxes to explain each subtopic in this poster, you could still read it easily — just not from 10 feet away.

Ensure layout consistency

Layout consistency is the uniform appearance of elements within a design.

It is achieved by employing the same layout, color and typography throughout an entire design.

For example, if a web page uses a consistent layout, each page will be uniform in appearance but not necessarily in content.

Layout consistency is achieved by employing the same pattern, color and typography throughout an entire design. This uniform appearance helps readers navigate for better organization. 

Creating layout consistency is of crucial importance in scientific poster design because coherence creates a familiar mood and attachment for readers.

This template uses the same fonts and complementary colors that give the scientific poster its own coherent, attention-grabbing and informative personality

Related:  Stay ahead of graphic design trends that can help you with your scientific poster design!

Include acknowledgments, names and affiliations

Lastly, all scientific posters include their acknowledgments, researcher names and affiliations underneath the poster.

You can use a footnote to include these details or a resource box. Plus, if you used any links as references in your research, add them to this section.

If you were the researcher involved in this scientific poster , you could include all the information I’ve mentioned underneath the last paragraph using a line to indicate that they are acknowledgments and author information.

Searching for a research poster? Browse through our collection of research poster templates in to get started!

What is the purpose of a scientific poster?

Academics are the only ones who can read and understand a technical scientific paper.

To a normal reader, a research paper’s language and syntax are challenging. Scientific papers don’t prioritize reading flow in their outlines or exposition of data, methods and results.

But with a well-made and creative poster , reading a technical paper becomes easier.

For example, effective scientific posters include images that explain complicated terms.

At the same time, the poster layout makes data and text easy to read. Lastly, scientific posters use simple language that allows even young children to understand concepts.

FAQ about scientific posters

I know you’re all set to make your own designs, but you might want to have these questions answered too.

What should a scientific poster include?

A scientific poster should include an easy-to-follow layout, graphics and color schemes that don’t take away from the reading experience. Successful scientific posters also use short sentences, simple language and bullet points.

How do you write a good scientific poster?

Researchers must focus on the evidence behind the research. Afterward, they can concentrate on using simple language and short sentences to explain their point. Short text and simple words make it easier for graphic designers to create posters with an intuitive layout.

How do you write a scientific title for a poster?

Focus on aligning your title with human emotions and curiosity. Outside human emotions, you can align your titles toward controversial or trending issues. This article dedicates an entire section to writing a great scientific title for a poster, so you should head there to learn more!

Our  Poster Maker guarantees that you’ll make the most intuitive and well-designed scientific posters in a single session.

Make the best scientific posters within minutes today!

Now, you’re ready to make your own scientific posters for print or website use!

If you’re short on ideas, you can use Venngage’s scientific poster templates for inspiration. Besides access to scores of templates, you also get a free drag-and-drop web-based editor by signing up for a FREE Venngage account today. Register now!

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Poster Presentations: Further Reading

• Conference presentations: lead the poster parade Woolston, C. (2016). Conference presentations: lead the poster parade. Nature, 536(7614), 115-117.
• Effective visual design and communication practices for research posters: Exemplars based on the theory and practice of multimedia learning and rhetoric Pedwell, R. K., Hardy, J. A., & Rowland, S. L. (2017). Effective visual design and communication practices for research posters: Exemplars based on the theory and practice of multimedia learning and rhetoric. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 45(3), 249-261.
• How to make an academic poster Gundogan, B., Koshy, K., Kurar, L., & Whitehurst, K. (2016). How to make an academic poster. Annals of medicine and surgery, 11, 69-71.
• How to Prepare a Scientific Poster Pain, E. (2022). How to Prepare a Scientific Poster. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.caredit.ada0293
• Strategies for creating a conspicuous, effective, and memorable poster presentation Zarnetske, J. P., & Zarnetske, P. L. (2015). Strategies for creating a conspicuous, effective, and memorable poster presentation. GSA Today, 25(5), 66-68.
• Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation Erren, T.C., Bourne P.E. (2007) Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation. PLoS Comput Biol 3(5): e102.
• Visual Design Tips to Develop an Inviting Poster for Poster Presentations Tomita, K. (2017). Visual Design Tips to Develop an Inviting Poster for Poster Presentations. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 61(4), 313–315

Poster Design Tips

General message:

• Aim to tell a compelling story about why your research is important in a real-world context.
• Remember that a poster is an interactive & visual medium, not a research paper. You will present alongside your poster, and the text serves as a compliment to your conversations with audience members. Design your content with that purpose in mind.
• Write to your specific audience (language/detail will differ if you're presenting to other researchers in your discipline vs. a broad general audience)

Language & text:

• Be concise with your words: focus text on the main points and big takeaways of your research. Bulleted or numbered lists help.
• Use text size, style, and colors strategically to emphasize your message
• Make a compelling title readable from 8+ feet away (to draw in an audience). Make the rest of the text readable from 3-5 feet away (24 point absolute minimum)
• Use a template as a starting point (example links in right-hand column).
• Leave blank/white space to enhance visual appeal and readability.
• Provide a link, QR code, or handouts for audience members that would like more information.
• Get feedback on your design & practice with an audience.

Online Design Guides

• Academic Poster Resources: The Basics, Yale Library Thorough design guide with many specific design recommendations, including accessibility guidelines.
• Better Posters Blog, by Zen Faulkes Long-running blog about poster design. The creator also published a great book, Better Posters, in 2021.
• Designing Conference Posters, by Colin Purrington Extensive design advice for scientific posters, based on traditional design.
• How to Create a Better Research Poster in Less Time (YouTube video), by Mike Morrison This video is the second iteration of what kickstarted the #BetterPoster design trend. A great way to understand the common shortcoming of traditional poster design and get ideas for simplifying and maximizing your message.
• How to Create a Research Poster, by NYU Libraries Basic design guide for poster presentations.
• How to Make Your Scientific Posters Stand Out, by Scientifica Basic design advice for creating research posters, including word count, use of illustrations, color palette, use of white space, etc.
• Research Posters and Presentations, by Tufts University Libraries Relatively detailed guide for designing and presenting research posters.
• Tips for Presenting Your Scientific Poster at a Conference, by Scientifica Discusses tips for interacting with your audience at a poster session.

Poster Presentations Design Programs

Use UNM's TechFinder  to locate software on campus

• Presentation software such as: Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides
• Visual Design software such as: Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, or Microsoft Publisher
• LaTex templates

Poster Templates

• Canva Poster Templates Range of aesthetic poster templates, including creative designs
• Slidesgo Research Poster templates Range of aesthetic poster templates, including creative designs
• PosterPresentations.com Free PowerPoint templates for research posters, with a searchable database and wide variety of designs.
• "Better Poster" PowerPoint Templates Landscape and portrait PowerPoint templates based on a new poster trend that emphasizes key findings and simplistic design.
• "Butter Poster" PowerPoint Templates Landscape and portrait PowerPoint templates that offer another take on the "better poster" initiative. The "butter poster" offers a creative design but more content that adheres more closely to a traditional poster.

Design tools

• Color Safe color contrast checker
• Material Palette color palette generator
• Adobe Color Wheel
• Canva Color Palette Generator

Example Posters

Get inspired by design ideas from example posters

• #betterposter examples on Twitter
• ePosters open access library
• F1000Research open access poster repository
• Poster Sessions Flickr Gallery
• UC Davis Academic Posters
• << Previous: Design: Slides
• Next: Design: Data >>
• Last Updated: Mar 19, 2024 10:56 AM
• URL: https://libguides.unm.edu/presentations

Biology Research Communication for Undergrads

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Research Posters

Scientists share their findings (often before they are otherwise published) by attending scientific conferences and presenting talks or posters. Conferences generally have poster sessions where many posters will be set up in a room and attendees can walk around and view the posters that interest them. The poster presenter generally stands by their poster to explain their work or discuss ideas with attendees who view the poster. This is a great way for scientists to quickly share the basic concepts of their projects with others who are particularly interested in it and to exchange ideas one on one. Thus posters need to be visually appealing, easy to read and understand, and simplify their work to the most important concepts/findings. Work presented in posters does not need to be complete and is often ongoing current research.

Poster Sections

Poster Format

Example Posters

Poster Resources

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The key parts of a scientific poster

Why make a scientific poster?

Type of poster formats, sections of a scientific poster, before you start: tips for making a scientific poster, the 6 technical elements of a scientific poster, 3. typography, 5. images and illustrations, how to seek feedback on your poster, how to present your poster, tips for the day of your poster presentation, in conclusion, other sources to help you with your scientific poster presentation, frequently asked questions about scientific posters, related articles.

A poster presentation provides the opportunity to show off your research to a broad audience and connect with other researchers in your field.

For junior researchers, presenting a poster is often the first type of scientific presentation they give in their careers.

The discussions you have with other researchers during your poster presentation may inspire new research ideas, or even lead to new collaborations.

Consequently, a poster presentation can be just as professionally enriching as giving an oral presentation , if you prepare for it properly.

In this guide post, you will learn:

• The goal of a scientific poster presentation
• The 6 key elements of a scientific poster
• How to make a scientific poster
• How to prepare for a scientific poster presentation
• ‘What to do on the day of the poster session.

Our advice comes from our previous experiences as scientists presenting posters at conferences.

Posters can be a powerful way for showcasing your data in scientific meetings. You can get helpful feedback from other researchers as well as expand your professional network and attract fruitful interactions with peers.

Scientific poster sessions tend to be more relaxed than oral presentation sessions, as they provide the opportunity to meet with peers in a less formal setting and to have energizing conversations about your research with a wide cross-section of researchers.

• Physical posters: A poster that is located in an exhibit hall and pinned to a poster board. Physical posters are beneficial since they may be visually available for the duration of a meeting, unlike oral presentations.
• E-posters: A poster that is shown on a screen rather than printed and pinned on a poster board. E-posters can have static or dynamic content. Static e-posters are slideshow presentations consisting of one or more slides, whereas dynamic e-posters include videos or animations.

Some events allow for a combination of both formats.

The sections included in a scientific poster tend to follow the format of a scientific paper , although other designs are possible. For example, the concept of a #betterposter was invented by PhD student Mike Morrison to address the issue of poorly designed scientific posters. It puts the take-home message at the center of the poster and includes a QR code on the poster to learn about further details of the project.

• Anticipate who your audience during the poster session will be—this will depend on the type of meeting. For example, presenting during a poster session at a large conference may attract a broad audience of generalists and specialists at a variety of career stages. You would like for your poster to appeal to all of these groups. You can achieve this by making the main message accessible through eye-catching figures, concise text, and an interesting title.
• Your goal in a poster session is to get your research noticed and to have interesting conversations with attendees. Your poster is a visual aid for the talks you will give, so having a well-organized, clear, and informative poster will help achieve your aim.
• Plan the narrative of your poster. Start by deciding the key take-home message of your presentation, and create a storyboard prioritizing the key findings that indicate the main message. Your storyboard can be a simple sketch of the poster layout, or you can use digital tools to make it. Present your results in a logical order, with the most important result in the center of the poster.
• Give yourself enough time to create a draft of your poster, and to get feedback on it. Since waiting to receive feedback, revising your poster, and sending the final version to the printers may take a few days, it is sensible to give yourself at least 1-2 weeks to make your poster.
• Check if the meeting has specific poster formatting requirements, and if your institution has a poster template with logos and color schemes that you can use. Poster templates can also be found online and can be adapted for use.
• Know where you will get your poster printed, and how long it typically takes to receive the printed poster.
• Ensure you write a specific and informative poster abstract, because specialists in your field may decide to visit your poster based on its quality. This is especially true in large meetings where viewers will choose what posters to visit before the poster session begins because it isn’t possible to read every poster.

➡️ Learn more about how to write an abstract

The technical elements of a scientific poster are:

• Images and Illustrations

Don’t be tempted to cram your entire paper into your poster—details that you omit can be brought up during conversations with viewers. Only include information that is useful for supporting your take-home message. Place your core message in the center of your poster, using either text or visual elements. Avoid jargon, and use concise text elements (no more than 10 lines and 50 words long). Present your data in graphs rather than in tabular form, as it can be difficult for visitors to extract the most important information from tables. Use bullet points and numbered lists to make text content easy to read. Your poster shouldn’t have more than 800 words.

Poster sections should have a logical visual flow, ideally in a longitudinal fashion. For example, in an article on poster presentations published in Nature , scientific illustrator Jamie Simon recommends using the law of thirds to display your research—a 3-column layout with 3 blocks per column. Headings, columns, graphs, and diagrams should be aligned and distributed with enough spacing and balance. The text should be left-aligned while maintaining an appropriate amount of "white space' i.e., areas devoid of any design elements.

To ensure the title is visible from 5 meters away, use a sans serif 85pt font. The body text should use a minimum of 24pt serif font so that it can be read from a one-meter distance. Section headings and subheadings should be in bold. Avoid underlining text and using all capitals in words; instead, a mixture of boldface and italics should be used for emphasis. Use adequate line spacing and one-inch margins to give a clean, uncluttered look.

Appropriate use of color can help readers make comparisons and contrasts in your figures. Account for the needs of color-blind viewers by not using red and green together, and using symbols and dashed lines in your figures. Use a white background for your poster, and black text.

Include no more than 4 figures, with a prominent centerpiece figure in the middle of the poster of your study system or main finding. Dimensions for illustrations, diagrams, and figures should be consistent. When inserting charts, avoid gray backgrounds and grid lines to prevent ink consumption and an unaesthetic look. Graphics used must have proper labels, legible axes, and be adequately sized. Images with a 200 dpi or higher resolution are preferred. If you obtain an image from the internet, make sure it has a high enough resolution and is available in the public domain.

Tools for poster design include Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, In Design, Scribus, Canva, Impress, Google Slides, and LaTeX. When starting with the design, the page size should be identical to the final print size. Stick to one design tool to avoid formatting errors.

Have at least one proofreading and feedback round before you print your final poster by following these steps:

• Share your poster draft with your advisor, peers, and ideally, at least one person outside of your field to get feedback.
• Allow time to revise your poster and implement the comments you’ve received.
• Before printing, proofread your final draft. You can use a spelling and grammar-checking tool, or print out a small version of the poster to help locate typos and redundant text.

Before giving a poster presentation, you need to be ready to discuss your research.

• For large meetings where viewers of your poster have a range of specialties, prepare 2-3 levels for your speech, starting with a one-minute talk consisting of key background information and take-home messages. Prepare separate short talks for casual viewers with varying levels of interest in your topic, ranging from "very little" to "some".
• Prepare a 3-5 minute presentation explaining the methods and results for those in your audience with an advanced background.
• Anticipate possible questions that could arise during your presentation and prepare answers for them.
• Practice your speech. You can ask friends, family, or fellow lab members to listen to your practice sessions and provide feedback.

Here we provide a checklist for your presentation day:

• Arrive early—often exhibition halls are large and it can take some time to find the allocated spot for your poster. Bring tape and extra pins to put up your poster properly.
• Wear professional attire and comfortable shoes.
• Be enthusiastic. Start the conversation by introducing yourself and requesting the attendee’s name and field of interest, and offering to explain your poster briefly. Maintain eye contact with attendees visiting your poster while pointing to relevant figures and charts.
• Ask visitors what they know about your topic so that you can tailor your presentation accordingly.
• Some attendees prefer to read through your poster first and then ask you questions. You can still offer to give a brief explanation of your poster and then follow up by answering their questions.
• When you meet with visitors to your poster, you are having a conversation, so you can also ask them questions. If you are not sure they understand what you are saying, ask if your explanation makes sense to them, and clarify points where needed.
• Be professional. Stand at your poster for the duration of the session, and prioritize being available to meet with visitors to your poster over socializing with friends or lab mates. Pay due attention to all visitors at once by acknowledging visitors waiting to speak with you.

A scientific poster is an excellent method to present your work and network with peers. Preparation is essential before your poster session, which includes planning your layout, drafting your poster, practicing your speech, and preparing answers to anticipated questions. The effort invested in preparing your poster will be returned by stimulating conversations during the poster session and greater awareness of your work in your scientific community.

➡️ How to prepare a scientific poster

➡️ Conference presentations: Lead the poster parade

➡️ Designing conference posters

A scientific poster can be used to network with colleagues, get feedback on your research and get recognition as a researcher.

A scientific poster should include a main heading, introduction, methods, results, conclusion, and references.

An e-poster is a poster fashioned as a slideshow presentation that plays on a digital screen, with each slide carrying a sliver of information.

A handful of tools can be used to design a poster including Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Illustrator, In Design, Photoshop, Impress, and LaTeX.

Start the conversation by introducing yourself and requesting the attendees' names, affiliations, and fields of interest, and offering to explain your poster briefly. Alternatively, you can give attendees ample time to read through your poster first and then offer to explain your poster in 10 seconds followed by questions and answers.

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Designing a Conservation Science Poster?

Focus on key ideas.

Posters need to attract your audience and convey a few key ideas. If you have never been to a poster session, imagine a marketplace with dozens of merchants trying to hawk their wares to hundreds of potential customers in a single crowded room. In this case the merchants are very demure; they would not dream of loudly exhorting the crowd to gather at their poster. They just stand beside their poster as people wander around, hoping that their poster will catch the eye of an interested person. When people stop a conversation will probably ensue, perhaps for only a minute or two, perhaps much longer.

In this setting the key to brisk sales is an eye-catching poster and this probably means both an intriguing title and one or two large, attractive images . . . literally attractive. It is possible to go overboard with a cute title, but certainly almost anything would be better than: "Life history of the alpine lily, an endangered species" or "Visitor attitudes toward conservation at Alpine National Park." The first requirement for an attractive image is that it be large enough to be clearly visible from 2 or 3 meters away. Secondly, it should attempt to engage the viewer and make them want to find out more: What are those people doing? What kind of creature is that?

Once you have a person's attention you can initiate a conversation with a question such as,"Would you like to hear about my work?" and if the answer is "yes" then you have a few minutes to deliver your message.You should probably aim for about 3–5 minutes, but it may easily extend longer if you are asked questions, a good sign that the person is genuinely interested and not just being polite. During your mini-presentation the main function of the poster will be to provide some key figures or tables you need to display your results and perhaps a map to show where you work. Figures are usually preferable to tables, especially because they are easier to interpret from a modest distance, but sometimes a table will work better.

If the key elements of a poster are a title and image to attract a listener and then some figures to use while talking about your results, then why is the typical poster cluttered with lots of text material? There are two answers: first, some posters are designed to be read while the presenter is absent; second, most posters try to present far more material than can be realistically absorbed by the average reader in the time they will spend standing before a poster. The first issue is easily resolved by determining the structure of the poster session; if they are on display for an extended period then that calls for a different design than if they will be visible for only a couple hours when you are present. If the poster needs to stand alone, you will need some bare-bones text to lead readers through the main parts of your paper: an Introduction to provide some context, Methods to describe what you did, and so on, perhaps 200–500 words at most. The mistake people make most often is overwhelming their reader. Surrounded by scores of other posters that are competing for attention it will be unusual for anyone to spend more than 5 minutes reading your poster, unless the topic particularly interests them. First, you need to ask yourself, how much material can I actually convey to a reader in 5 minutes? Then you to need to organize that material in a visually accessible design.This means large, simple fonts, an outline format based on key phrases, and, most important of all, avoiding excessive text.

Imagine standing in front of a poster reading the preceding paragraph compared with seeing its essence distilled like this:

Why are posters cluttered?

• Designed for reading, not presenting
• Provide too much material Solutions
• Limit material to 5 minutes' worth
• Use an outline format

Sure, some nuance is lost in the latter version, but which one will you actually take the time to read in the midst of a poster session and which one is more likely to stick with you?

Create a first draft

Aim to have a first draft of your poster done a couple weeks before the conference so that your advisor and others can review it for you. Some fresh sets of eyes will almost certainly identify some opportunities for major improvements. For people who are really interested in your work it can be useful to have a short handout, say both sides of a sheet of paper, that contains your abstract and key figures. These can be left in a large envelope hanging from the poster if it is unattended at times. Of course, this handout should contain your contact information so that the interaction can continue by phone or email after the conference. Conversely, you should be prepared to collect contact information for people that you want to contact later. Obviously face-to-face interactions are best and you might want to suggest meeting for a meal later in the conference if you think this would be fruitful.

Many first-time poster presenters are disappointed with the volume of interactions; you are likely to spend more time standing alone than engaged in animated conversation. This is not a reflection of the quality of your work. The reality is that poster sessions are social events and many participants will be more focused on chatting with colleagues than viewing posters. One way to avoid standing alone is to interact with other nearby poster presenters. Ask them to describe their posters and they will almost certainly reciprocate.

Remember, your scientific poster is a presentation of data and results with a short written discussion of your research at a scientific meeting. Using clear, consise writing, self-explainatory tables and graphics as well as good design techniques, a person should be able to fully read your poster in less than 10 minutes. It should be readable from 2 meters away and a good rule of thumb is to include 35 percent blank space.

Don’t be afraid to edit and simplify.

Example Posters

Poster 1   is a traditional poster with substantial blocks of text. Although this version has only 740 words of core text (1436 including legends, titles, literature cited, etc.), it still is so dense that most passersby will not take the time to read it. 

Poster 2   is much abbreviated from the traditional version with only 337 words of core text (1023 inclusive), but the central ideas are still conveyed. This format is much more inviting for a passerby, allowing a reader to understand the significant conservation implications of the project in less than 5 minutes. 

Poster 3   is shorter still with a reduced introduction, methods presented as a flow chart, and results presented only in figures. This version would probably be optimal for a poster session during which the presenter is always available to talk people through the poster. Nevertheless, even with only 209 words of core text (727 words total text) the poster can still be understood as a stand alone.

More Resources and Examples:

These and many other books and websites offer excellent advice for putting together your poster and your presentation:

• "Designing Conference Posters" by Colin Purrington
• Hunter, M.L., D.B. Lindenmayer, and A.J.K. Calhoun 2007. Saving the Earth as a career: Advice on becoming a conservation professional. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom.

– PLEASE do not copy this resource for your own website – This resource is property of SCB, with exerpts from "Saving the Earth as a career: Advice on becoming a conservation professional" by Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr., David Lindenmayer, Aram Calhoun. You may link to this resource, but you may NOT copy/paste this material without the express written permission of the authors.

How to Make a Science Research Poster: Example Posters and Critiques

• Example Posters and Critiques

Tips for Posters

The following websites have a number of example posters made with useful feedback.

• University of Texas Undergraduate Research sample posters
• Example of a bad poster and a critique
• A blog dedicated to advice on making better posters
• << Previous: Design
• Last Updated: Aug 16, 2022 9:44 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.cmu.edu/scienceposters

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How do i design a research poster: poster examples.

• Getting Started
• Sections of a Poster
• Design Tips
• Using Images
• Formatting A Poster

Poster Examples

• << Previous: Formatting A Poster
• Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 2:32 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uccs.edu/poster

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Introduction

Characteristics of an introduction.

• Tells the reader why the research is important.
• Provides background about the issue or topic that is being studied.  
• Sets the stage for the rest of the poster.
• Informs the reader of the goals and objectives of the research.

The Introduction section of the poster appears immediately after the Abstract ( Figs. 2 and 4 ).   It is used to introduce the reader to the topic and provides all the necessary information needed to understand the topic or issue.   It describes the importance of the research, especially in context to previous work that has been conducted in this area.   It helps to set the stage for the research described in the poster and provides clear objectives for why the work was conducted.   If the work is being conducted in the environment, the introduction often provides information (e.g., biological and physical properties) about the ecosystem, its location on Earth (e.g., map) and other pertinent history about the field site ( Fig. 5 ).   If the work is being conducted in a laboratory setting, the introduction can provide information about the institution (e.g., name, location, mission, funding agency).   The Introduction section ( Figs. 1 , 4, 5 ) frequently contains photographs of the organism and ecosystem that are being studied, a detailed map of the study site, diagrams or equations describing the topic or issue, and tables that help to organize especially complex data for the reader to better understand.      

Most posters are divided into four columns with the Introduction section typically taking up 20% of the total area on the poster.   You will likely want to use 22-point to 26-point font in the Introduction section so that your audience can comfortably read the text.   The total number of words contained in the Introduction will likely be around 200 words and you will also want to include 1-2 figures (or tables) in this part of the poster ( Figs. 1 , 4, 5 ).  

Figure 4. Scientific Poster

The audience will stand 2-3 feet away from the poster when viewing it. Figures, tables and text should be created so that they are easy to read and understand from this distance.   To ensure that the Introduction section is easy to read, you should view the poster on your computer monitor at 100%, stand 2-3 feet away from the monitor and see if you can read the text, figures and tables.   Anything that is difficult to read should be adjusted on your computer prior to printing the poster on paper, thus saving time and money.   A font size of 22 to 26 points is a comfortable size for most people to read on a poster from a distance of 2-3 feet away.              

There may be a tendency to provide as much text and information as possible in your Introduction.   You should avoid this temptation because you would need to decrease the font size below 22-point in order to fit more information on your poster.   This will only serve to frustrate the reader with text that is too small to read.   Remember that poster presentations consist of:   (i) the poster itself and (ii) the person who is presenting the research.   A presenter does not need to include all information in the poster, because they will be standing beside their poster talking to an audience and verbally communicating the information to the audience.   Posters are tools that are used by scientists to explain their research using both visual and verbal communication.   Some information will be visually communicated (e.g., Fig. 4 ), some information will be verbally communicated to an audience.  

Figure 5. Example Introduction

Scientific Posters: A Learner's Guide Copyright © 2020 by Ella Weaver; Kylienne A. Shaul; Henry Griffy; and Brian H. Lower is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

• Next: Design Tips >>
• Last Updated: Jul 11, 2023 5:09 PM
• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters

Undergraduate Research & Prestigious Scholarships

Poster presentation examples, from past urcad events.

Select image to view the poster.

Mobolanle Adebesin Psychology

Eric Adjakwah Health Administration and Policy

Theophilus Aluko Mechanical Engineering

Hannah Aris Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Robin Arnold Psychology

Riley Auer Ancient Studies Zoe Wang Visual Arts

Farhan Augustine Chemistry and Biochemistry

Cara Borja Psychology

Syrena Bracey Chemistry and Biochemistry

Ann Cirincione Biological Sciences

Thomas Coard Biological Sciences

Nora Corasaniti Political Science

Joelle Cusic Chemistry and Biochemistry

Hanna Dasoo Political Science

Vineed Dayal Mechanical Engineering

Caitlin Dea Education

Logan Dean Political Science

Lynne Deckel Education

Yash Desai Biological Sciences

Nidhi Dheman Psychology

Elise Donkor Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Katlyn Easter Psychology

Chiamaka Ekwunazu Psychology

Samantha Eng Biological Sciences

Mark Fisher

Rivka Fleischman Psychology

Amelia Hallworth Biological Sciences

Oluwagbotemi Igbaroola Biological Sciences

Robyn Jasper Biological Sciences

Alicia Khan Psychology

Su Hyoung Kim Visual Arts

Matthew Kovarek Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Sekar Kulandaivel Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Julian Loiacono Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Joshua Massey Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

Natalie McDonald Chemistry and Biochemistry

Sean Najmi Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Colin O’Hern Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Nneka Opara Psychology

Julian Paige Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Sarah Pollock Chemistry and Biochemistry

Asma Qaiyumi Psychology

Rebekah Rashford Biological Sciences

Sierra Reeb Education

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Postbac Poster Day Presents a Buffet of Biology

Young Scientists Demonstrate Fruits of Their IRP Research

By Brandon Levy

Monday, May 20, 2024

There’s nothing quite like visiting NIH’s Postbac Poster Day to boost your faith that the future of biomedical science is bright. On May 1 and 2, more than a thousand recent college graduates participating in  NIH’s Postbac program showed their colleagues, friends, and family the fascinating projects they’re working on in IRP labs. From delving into the aging brain to making sense of the bacteria on our skin, these aspiring researchers demonstrated that they have the passion needed to unravel the most complex mysteries of human biology. Read on to learn about the scientific questions just a few of them have been doggedly investigating over the past year.

Monica Mesecar: Accelerating Our Understanding of Healthy Aging

Science has been a constant throughout Monica’s life. When some girls might have received dolls or clothes as gifts, her parents, including her scientist father, provided her with a microscope and kits for growing crystals and raising butterflies.

“My interest in science has been ever-present,” she recalls. “I was always a curious child, constantly asking ‘why?’ I am also very privileged in that my father is in science as well, and he shared his passion with me. I remember visiting his lab as a kid and being mesmerized.”

In high school, Monica’s broad scientific curiosity began to focus on psychology, leading her to study neuroscience at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. After graduating, she joined the lab of IRP senior investigator  Mark Cookson, Ph.D. , where she has been investigating how brain cells and their genes change as people age. While Dr. Cookson’s lab mainly focuses on neurodegenerative disorders that cause brain cells to die, Monica has instead been tasked with sorting through the various changes that happen in the brains of people who age without being diagnosed with a neurological condition.

“Many similar studies focus on pathological aging, rather than normal aging,” she says. “Researching what happens during typical aging will allow us to establish a baseline for comparison so we can better understand how these patterns may go awry in pathological cases.”

By taking advantage of a cutting-edge technique called single-nucleus RNA sequencing, Monica has identified processes that rev up or down in specific cell types as people age. For instance, she has found evidence that genes related to inflammation become more active over time in immune cells found in the brain called microglia. In addition, she has found that even in people with no evidence of brain disease, the activity of genes related to the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease changed as her study participants aged.

“Given that some degree of change in the activity of genes related to disease risk may be normal throughout aging, this begs the question of what changes ‘push someone over’ into developing disease,” she says. “Having this baseline for comparison from individuals with no evidence of disease may help us answer this question.”

In addition to learning from the huge IRP community around her, Monica has benefited over the past year from being a participant in the Postbac Enrichment Program (PEP) run by NIH’s Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE). Through the program, Monica attends seminars on leadership, professional development, and personal well-being along with others in the PEP program, which has helped her bond with the smaller group of fellow postbacs all going through the program with her. That’s not to say, however, that her connections with her IRP colleagues outside the PEP have not also been incredibly enriching for her.

“It’s been amazing to be so close to renowned researchers and absorb as much knowledge as I can,” she says. “The difference here is the frequency and abundance. At other places, you may get such opportunities once in a while, but here, there’s a pretty much constant influx.”

“I will also say that, as a postbac with a physical disability, I’ve found the NIH to be the most accommodating research environment that I’ve experienced thus far,” she adds. “That’s made me feel really comfortable here.”

Fun fact: During high school, Monica won second place in a local photography competition with what she describes as a “film noir-inspired project.” Her win, she recalls, was “really exciting because that was the first time I had been recognized for an achievement outside of academics.”

Andre Tulloch: Diving Into Racial Disparities in Pregnancy Outcomes

When you ask most NIH postbacs about their college major, you tend to hear a mix of biology, neuroscience, and psychology, maybe with some physics and chemistry thrown in. Andre brings a unique background to his IRP research, having majored in Social Justice at the University of Rochester in New York — with a minor in Biology, of course. He became interested in both topics while spending time with his grandmother in Jamaica during many summers and his entire fourth grade year, but the two subject domains also have personal meaning for him due to health struggles he has witnessed in his family.

“The flora, fauna, and technological differences of living in the countryside of Jamaica made me interested in biology and the way we depend on the land to survive,” he says. “I also have an interest in supporting healthy pregnancies, especially for Black women. This interest came from witnessing my mother’s lupus diagnosis and its effects on her pregnancy with my younger siblings.”

That specific interest in the health of Black women led Andre to join the lab of IRP senior investigator  Stephen Gilman, Sc.D. , where he has gotten the chance to “study the social and behavioral aspects of pregnancy, motivated by a broader interest in the health impacts of structural racism, particularly for birthing people,” he says.

Andre’s most recent research endeavor in Dr. Gilman’s lab examined how race relates to a marker of inflammation throughout the body known as C-reactive protein (CRP), which is linked to a higher chance of several medical conditions, including heart attacks. Andre found that Black pregnant women had higher concentrations of CRP during all three trimesters of pregnancy compared to women of other racial backgrounds, and they also gave birth to babies with lower weights, which can have long-term consequences for a child’s development. However, when Andre investigated the role of CRP in the relationship between race and birthweight, he saw it didn’t appear to be involved.

“My findings raise more questions about what other physiological processes might be causing race-based differences in inflammation and racial inequities in birthweight,” he explains. “Structural racism manifests in many ways to alter the way that Black birthing people experience pregnancy, which can lead to higher levels of stress during the process. I hope to explore other ways that this stress and discrimination can impact the physiology of pregnancy through other biomarkers. Ultimately, I hope to support a deeper understanding of what resources or aids can be provided during pregnancy to lessen the incidence of negative birth outcomes, especially for Black birthing people.”

As Andre has pursued research that he is strongly passionate about, he has also enjoyed getting to know his IRP colleagues, whom he describes as “a network of scholars doing some really cool work.” He has particularly enjoyed participating in the Postbac Enrichment Program, having built a strong community with the program’s other participants.

“We’ve become like a family, and I’ve been able to depend on them during my time at the NIH,” he says.

Fun fact: Andre collects vinyl records and currently owns more than 750 of them. His collection is “mostly a mix of old reggae and soca records with a good mix of newer R&B and neo-soul albums,” he says.

Gabriel Sanchez: Watching Water Changes in the Body

As a first-generation college student, Gabriel’s first chance to immerse himself in scientific research came when he enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. He took great advantage of that chance, doing research on an array of topics from the synthesis of metal nanoparticles to how the brain helps us remember and navigate our surroundings. Probing the mysteries of the nervous system captured his curiosity the most, so he decided to major in neuroscience, a field that was new to him at the time. 

When it came to choosing a lab to work in at NIH, though, Gabriel decided he wanted to venture out of his comfort zone once again. His thirst for novelty led him to the lab of IRP senior investigator  Kong Chen, Ph.D. , whose team studies how our metabolism — the process by which the body turns food into fuel — affects our health, and vice-versa.

“When I applied to NIH, I actually decided to go out of the field of neuroscience and explore metabolic research in hopes to just build new perspectives about science,” he says. “Now I get to work on projects that show how the nervous system and metabolism actually work in tandem.”

So far, Gabriel’s efforts have centered on examining how metabolism differs in different populations, including individuals of different ages and different racial or ethnic backgrounds. As part of that project, he is working on validating a way to measure the body’s water content using a technique called bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy, which sends a weak electrical current through the body to determine the amount of water inside and outside cells. This way of measuring the body’s water content is non-invasive and lower-cost than other approaches, but it’s unclear right now if it does the job as well as the ‘gold-standard’ ways of measuring water in the body. Since body water content is related to how well-hydrated and well-fed people are, finding an easy and cheap way to measure it could add more detail to the Chen lab’s studies of metabolism in different populations.

“The information gathered in this study can benefit science because we’ll have information about body composition and metabolism for people affected by various diseases, undergoing lifestyle changes like having a baby or changing weight, and having various backgrounds, ages, and sexes,” Gabriel explains.

“Scientists have typically used measures like height and weight to estimate how much a person uses food or calories as energy, and this is what we know as a 'metabolic rate,' but metabolism varies greatly between people based on those differences I previously mentioned,” Gabriel adds. “Because of that, scientists now believe that the older formulas that estimate metabolic rates might not work well for the general public, so we want to find more accurate ways to measure someone’s metabolism. This is important because it can help us assess risk factors for certain conditions like diabetes or obesity. A person with certain metabolic diseases could have a different metabolic rate, for example.”

For Gabriel, the thrill of venturing into an entirely new domain isn’t the only perk of doing research at NIH. He has also enjoyed building relationships with his mentors and colleagues, both in his own lab and all around the IRP. 

“As a postbac, I have gotten the chance to learn from and work with some of the brightest minds on the planet,” he says, “and it makes me motivated and driven to continue learning so that I can hopefully leave my own mark in the world of science and medicine.”

Fun fact: Gabriel has both U.S. and Mexican citizenship and has gone to Mexico several times to teach science to middle school students.

Kiana Allen: Reining In Runaway Immune Cells

Kiana traces her initial interest in science and medicine back to her aunt, who served as a babysitter for Kiana and her cousins and lost both her legs to an undiagnosed case of lupus, an autoimmune disease. 

“Growing up, I didn’t understand much about her condition, so my questions and curiosity about human biology began to pile up,” Kiana recalls.

That curiosity led her to follow a pre-med course curriculum and major in Biology at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, a historically black college. And although she did not conduct any research at Alcorn State, Kiana was still able to hit the ground running as an NIH postbac with the help of the experience she gained spending the summer of 2021 in an IRP lab through NIH’s Summer Internship Program (SIP). 

Her research during that summer focused on how genetics and biological sex affect health as people age, as well as how various interventions affect lifespan in mice, but when it came time to choose a lab to work in as a postbac, Kiana decided to try something entirely new. The COVID-19 pandemic had gotten her interested in how the immune system fights infectious disease, so she opted to worked with IRP staff clinician  Jeffrey Strich, M.D. , in the NIH Clinical Center’s Critical Care Medicine Department, where she has been contributing to research on the body’s response to several different diseases, including sepsis and the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. 

“Dr. Strich’s team allows me to gain in-depth knowledge about the innate immune response in critically ill patients through basic and translational research,” Kiana says.

At Postbac Poster Day, Kiana presented her research on sepsis, a potentially lethal, out-of-control immune response to infection. One element of this runaway immune response is that cells called neutrophils release web-like meshes of DNA and antimicrobial proteins that capture and kill infectious invaders. These so-called ‘neutrophil extracellular traps,’ or NETs for short, are initially helpful but can cause problems when produced in excess. Kiana has found that a drug called fostamatinib, which inhibits an enzyme known as spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK), reduces the amount of NETs that neutrophils produce when exposed to blood from sepsis patients.

 “There is no FDA-approved drug to target this overactive immune response caused by sepsis,” Kiana explains, “While my work is in isolated cells, it provides insight that SYK inhibition can be a potential therapeutic for the dysregulated innate immune response in sepsis.”

As much as Kiana has enjoyed the day-to-day of conducting research in an IRP lab, her favorite moment as a postbac occurred outside the boundaries of NIH’s campus. In October 2023, she got the chance to travel to Boston, Massachusetts, to present her research on COVID-19 at a scientific conference on infectious disease. She credits her NIH mentors and IRP peers with helping her develop the scientific and social skills needed to bring her research to a wider audience.

“My experience as a postbac continues to be nothing but extraordinary,” she says. “Outside of conducting novel research, I gained a network of friends working hard to become future scientists and physicians. I am grateful to have gained lifelong mentors, who support my goal of becoming a physician. Moreover, each day at the NIH, I am learning how to effectively communicate my scientific findings, which is a skill that I hope to transfer into my future career as a physician.”

Fun fact: Kiana started competing in track and field competitions at the age of 10 and competed all four years of college in the long jump and triple jump at the Division I level. She was also named captain of her university’s 2021-2022 women’s track and field team and received Mississippi’s David M. Halbrook Award for Academic Achievements Among Athletes.

Said Briseno Gonzalez: Battling Skin Infections with a Beneficial Bacterium

Between his undergraduate research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the two years he has now spent at NIH as a postbac, Said’s scientific experiences have managed to cover a wide swath of the diversity that exists among living things. Said, who was the first person in his family to attend college, says he’s “always been fascinated by the complex processes of nature,” a fascination he sought to feed when he decided to spend some time as an undergraduate working in a lab focused on plant biology. Upon coming to NIH nearly two years ago, his research focus shifted to how the tiny bacteria living on our skin — known as the skin ‘microbiome’ — influence human health.

“I want to further my understanding about microbe-host interactions that take place in humans,” he says. “To me, this is important because new therapies and new vaccines can be developed from this understanding to combat emerging diseases.”

Along with his colleagues in the lab of IRP Independent Research Scholar  Portia Gough, Ph.D. , Said has been investigating how a type of bacteria called Roseomonas mucosa  protects skin cells called keratinocytes from the ravages of the dangerous, antibiotic-resistant skin infection known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). His experiments have confirmed that R. mucosa helps keep keratinocytes, the most common type of cell in skin, from being killed by a MRSA infection. Importantly, he has also discovered that R. mucosa does this by increasing the amount of an antimicrobial substance that keratinocytes produce when they are exposed to the bacteria that cause MRSA. 

“Not only do these findings help researchers understand the skin microbiota better, but we can also come to understand the cellular processes by which R. mucosa  protects human keratinocytes,” he explains. “The implications of these findings are important because they provide insight into the potential mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects that R. mucosa can provide to patients who suffer from inflammatory skin diseases, such as eczema, or from MRSA skin infections.”

As a participant in NIH’s Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP), Said had already benefited from NIH’s desire to nurture budding scientists even before he started as a postbac. The UGSP provides students from disadvantaged backgrounds with scholarships to partially fund their undergraduate educations in return for spending summers and at least a year after graduation doing research in an IRP lab. Those summer research experiences surely set him up to get the most out of the not one but two years he has now spent working full-time at NIH following graduation, which have seen him interact with many skilled and passionate colleagues both inside and outside the lab. His favorite part of his time at NIH, though, has been the opportunity he has had to give back to the IRP community through his role as the co-chair of the Health and Wellness Subcommittee on NIH’s Postbac Committee, where he has “learned many leadership skills” as he has worked to “equip other postbacs with the tools they need to lead healthy lives as they advance through their rigorous career paths," he says.

“My experience as a postbac at NIH has been very meaningful because I have been able to forge strong connections while training to become a better researcher,” he adds. “I was mentored by experienced investigators and learned several new lab techniques, and I involved myself in important affinity groups at NIH to support and receive support from my peers.”

Fun fact: Said loves to hike and spend time in nature, and he is occasionally accompanied by his dog, a mix between a golden retriever and a poodle known as a ‘golden doodle.’

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This page was last updated on Monday, May 20, 2024