The fellowship scheme, which runs annually, provides practising scientists, clinicians and engineers with the opportunity to spend two to six weeks working at the heart of a major media outlet.
It aims to give scientists the confidence to engage with the media, and to bridge the gap between journalists and scientists. The scheme also tackles mistrust and misrepresentation, and builds understanding between science and society.
Dr Bhardwaj said: “Academics tend to be trained in knowledge production but not in knowledge dissemination. In this gap, misinformation steps in. I hope to understand the latter better to reduce the gap."
His research examines rare high-stakes phenomena ranging from organisational disasters to radical innovation, focusing on the underlying dynamics that are often difficult to observe but crucial to understand. He is interested in how better theorising can improve understanding of these complexities, particularly in relation to AI adoption in strategic management and public policy.
The fellowship is jointly funded through the ESRC and EPSRC Impact Acceleration Accounts at the University of Bath.