Public engagement is where research stops being a document and starts becoming a conversation.
I work across exhibitions, public talks, comedy, video, journalism and collaborative events to make complex evidence accessible without sanding away its difficulty. The aim is not simply to tell people what research found, but to create useful ways for people to question it, recognise themselves in it and help shape what comes next.
SOLVE: making hidden distress visible
The SOLVE bust carries words associated with pressure, isolation, shame and suicidal distress. It turns language that is often hidden inside workplaces into something physical, public and difficult to walk past.
The bust and SOLVE framework will be featured at the Scottish Parliament in 2026 as part of a Scottish Hazards event marking World Suicide Prevention Day.
Comedy and difficult conversations
As Si Walker, I use stand-up, topical comedy and live formats to explore academia, health, work and the absurd systems people are expected to survive. The State We’re In, an interactive panel show about news, politics and culture, is the clearest bridge between this work and public engagement. It debuted at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and played the Edinburgh Fringe in 2026.
Projects including Laughter Lives and Dying Laughing also examine how humour can open serious conversations without making light of the people at their centre.
History, teaching and media
Feeding Under Fire uses video and teaching resources to examine food, health and military bodies during the First World War. My journalism and public writing have also brought research on military suicide, recruitment and institutional power to wider audiences.
Dr Simon Harold Walker 