Guest post by Sheetal Saujani, Citizen Science Coordinator in the Office for Open Science & Scholarship

Citizen Science, where members of the public contribute to academic research, is reshaping how we do research. It opens new possibilities for data collection, community engagement, and impact, and at UCL, it’s increasingly seen as a key part of open and inclusive research.

In this post, we explore some of the platforms that make Citizen Science possible, including iNaturalist, and share insights from Professor Muki Haklay’s (UCL Extreme Citizen Science) blog to inspire UCL researchers to get involved.

Why Citizen Science platforms matter

Citizen Science platforms aren’t just bits of technology – they are powerful tools for bringing people and research together. They help researchers:

• Collect data on a large scale, across different locations and time periods
• Work with diverse communities in ways that feel meaningful
• Enhance the impact of their research by opening it up to the public
• Recognise and include lived experience and local knowledge as valuable data

Citizen Science platforms make it easy for anyone to take part by connecting researchers with thousands (or even millions) of contributors. Whether it’s identifying wildlife, tracking pollution, or classifying stars, Citizen Science tools make it easy for anyone to take part.

But not every platform fits every project. It’s worth considering how easy it is to use, the quality of the data, ethical considerations, and how long the platform can be supported. It’s great that there are now a wide range of tools out there to support different research areas.

Popular platforms to explore

Here are a few Citizen Science platforms worth considering:

1. Zooniverse – a platform for crowdsourced data analysis in fields ranging from climate science to history.
2. Cochrane Crowd – global community classifying health research to support systematic reviews, open to all with no prior expertise needed.
3. SciStarter – a hub connecting volunteers to projects across science, health, and the environment.
4. GLOBE Observer – a NASA app for environmental monitoring including cloud cover and mosquito habitats.

Many of these tools are open source or open access, which aligns with UCL’s Open Science approach to research.

Spotlight on iNaturalist

iNaturalist is one of the world’s leading Citizen Science platforms, built to help people record and share observations of biodiversity. With over 150 million contributions, it reflects the core values of open Citizen Science: it’s user-friendly, community-driven, and open in its data policies.

If you’re interested in tracking urban wildlife, exploring plant ecology, or examining environmental change, iNaturalist offers:

• Community-powered species ID: observations are confirmed by a global network of experts and enthusiasts.
• Open data integration: verified sightings feed directly into the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), supporting research and conservation worldwide.
• Educational value: a powerful tool for learning about local ecosystems, supporting outreach, and involving the public in meaningful fieldwork.

For UCL researchers in ecology, conservation, education, or public engagement, iNaturalist offers a ready-made platform for collaborative projects, supporting both academic outcomes and community impact.

Reflections on iNaturalist from Prof. Muki Haklay

At the CAPS25 conference, iNaturalist’s Executive Director, Scott Loarie, delivered the opening keynote sharing five key lessons from the platform’s 17-year evolution – from an MSc project to a global biodiversity tool.

In a follow-up blog post, Professor Muki Haklay (UCL Extreme Citizen Science) reflects on these insights, highlighting iNaturalist’s focus on a pressing challenge: documenting species before they disappear. With one in three species at risk, the platform’s mission is urgent.

Prof. Haklay praises iNaturalist for making participation fun and not too complicated, empowering people to contribute meaningfully – from spotting rare birds to discovering new butterflies. He also emphasises the social side of Citizen Science, where events like the City Nature Challenge become global celebrations of biodiversity.

He describes iNaturalist as “a new kind of scientific instrument” – open, scalable, and powered by AI. Millions of photos help track species distribution, detect invasive spread, and even reveal behavioural patterns. AI/computer vision is “providing a new journey,” he notes, with tools that link images to DNA and uncover new species.

For UCL researchers, Prof. Haklay’s reflections remind us to think beyond data collection. How can we design Citizen Science that’s inclusive, engaging, and makes a difference in the world?

Next steps

Citizen Science can enhance public engagement, enable large-scale data collection, and support the co-production of knowledge – especially when linked with Open Science values. To get started:

• Choose a platform that fits your research needs
• Pilot a small-scale activity or join an existing project
• Reflect on inclusion, ethics, and sustainability from the outset
• Connect with UCL’s Citizen Science community for guidance and support

Let’s collaborate

Have you used a Citizen Science platform in your research or teaching? Or are you just getting started and curious about the possibilities?

Platforms like iNaturalist show how Citizen Science can be rigorous, inclusive and impactful – offering new ways to collaborate, engage communities and produce knowledge. As UCL advances its Open Science agenda, now is a great time to consider how Citizen Science can enhance your work across disciplines.

The UCL Office for Open Science & Scholarship is here to support you. Our Citizen Science Support and Training resources include guidance on integrating Citizen Science into your projects, information on key platforms, and our favourite Citizen Science initiatives from around the world. You can also explore the Principles of Citizen Science at UCL to shape your approach from the outset.

Whether you’re starting a project or exploring ideas, we’d love to hear from you. Visit the UCL Citizen Science website to learn more – and let’s work together to make research more open, inclusive, and collaborative.

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Guest post by Sheetal Saujani, Citizen Science Coordinator in the Office for Open Science & Scholarship

At the Creativity in Research and Engagement session during the 2025 Open Science and Scholarship Festival, we invited participants to ask a simple question: what if we looked at research and engagement through the lens of creativity?

Together, we explored how creative approaches can unlock new possibilities across research, public engagement, and community participation. Through talks, discussions, and hands-on activities, we discussed visual thinking, storytelling, and participatory methods – tools that help us rethink how we work and connect with others.

Why creativity?

Whether it’s communicating complex science through visual storytelling, turning data into art, or reimagining who gets to ask the research questions in the first place, creative approaches help break down barriers and make research more inclusive and impactful.

Sketchnoting

We began by learning a new skill – sketchnoting – a quick, visual way of capturing ideas with shapes, symbols, diagrams, and keywords rather than full sentences. It’s not about being artistic; it’s about clarity and connection. As we reminded participants “Anyone can draw!”

Throughout the session, it became clear that creativity isn’t about perfection – it’s about connection, experimentation, and finding new ways to involve and inspire others in our work.

Three UCL speakers then shared how they’ve used creative methods in their research and engagement work.

Angharad Green – Turning genomic data into art

Angharad Green, Senior Research Data Steward at UCL’s Advanced Research Computing Centre, shared her work on the evolution of Streptococcus pneumoniae (the bacteria behind pneumonia and meningitis) using genomic data and experimental evolution.

What made her talk stand out was the way she visualised complex data. Using vibrant Muller plots to track changes in bacterial populations over time, she transformed dense genomic information into something accessible and visually compelling. She also ensured the visuals were accessible to people with colour blindness.

The images were so impactful that they earned a place on the cover of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. Angharad’s work is a powerful example of how creative design can not only improve research communication and uncover patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed, but also proves that data can double as art and that science can be both rigorous and imaginative.

“As I looked at the Muller plots,” she said, “I started to see other changes I hadn’t noticed – how one mutation would trigger another.”

Katharine Round – Ghost Town and the art of the undirected lens

Katharine Round, a filmmaker and Lecturer in Ethnographic and Documentary Film in UCL’s Department of Anthropology presented Ghost Town, set in the tsunami-struck city of Kamaishi, Japan. Local taxi drivers reported picking up passengers who then vanished – ghosts, perhaps, or expressions of unresolved grief.

Katharine explored memory, myth, and trauma using a unique method: fixed cameras installed inside taxis, with no filmmaker present. This “abandoned camera” approach created a space that felt intimate and undirected, like a moving confessional booth, allowing deeply personal stories to surface.

By simply asking, “Has anything happened to you since the tsunami that you’ve never spoken about?” the project uncovered raw, unstructured truths, stories that traditional interviews might never reach.

Katharine’s work reminds us that storytelling can be an evocative form of research. By using creative, non-linear methods, she uncovered stories that traditional data collection approaches might have missed. Sometimes, the most powerful insights come when the researcher steps back, listens, and lets the story unfold on its own.

Joseph Cook – Co-creation and creativity in Citizen Science

Joseph Cook leads the UCL Citizen Science Academy at the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity.

He shared how the Academy trains and supports community members to become co-researchers in community projects that matter to them, often co-designed with local councils on topics like health, prosperity, and wellbeing.

Joseph shared a range of inspiring creative work:

• Zines made by young citizen scientists in Tower Hamlets, including a research rap and reflections on life in the care system.
• A silk scarf by Aysha Ahmed, filled with symbols of home and belonging drawn from displaced communities in Camden.
• A tea towel capturing community recipes and food memories from Regent’s Park Estate, part of a project on culture and cohesion.
• Creative exhibitions such as The Architecture of Pharmacies, exploring healthcare spaces through the lens of lived experience.

Instead of asking communities to answer predefined questions, the Academy invites people to ask their own, reframing participants as experts in their own lives.

Joseph was joined by Mohammed Rahman, a citizen scientist and care leaver, awarded a UCL Citizen Science Certificate through the Academy’s ActEarly ‘Citizen Science with Care Leavers’ programme. Through his zine and audio documentary, Mohammed shared personal insights on wellbeing, support and independence showing how storytelling deepens understanding and drives change.

From thinking to making

After the talks, participants reflected and got creative. They explored evaluation methods like the “4Ls” (Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For) and discussed embedding co-design throughout projects, including evaluation, and why it’s vital to  involve communities from the start.

Participants made badges, sketchnoted their reflections, and took on a “Zine in 15 Minutes” challenge, contributing to a collective zine on creativity and community.

Final reflections

Creativity isn’t an add-on – it’s essential. It helps us ask better questions, involve more people, and communicate in ways that resonate. Methods like sketchnoting, visual metaphors, zine-making, and creative media open research and engagement to a wider range of voices and experiences.

Creative work doesn’t need to be academic papers – it can be a rap, a tea towel, or a short film. Creativity sparks insight, supports co-creation, and builds meaningful connection.

Whether through drawing, storytelling, or simply asking different questions, we must continue making space for creativity – in our projects and institutions.

Find out more

• Sketchnoting for Citizen Science – European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) webinar (YouTube)
• Award-winning journal cover featuring Angharad’s visuals. Questions? Contact: Angharad.green@ucl.ac.uk
• Discover the UCL Citizen Science Academy projects
• Explore citizen scientist zines on Issuu.
• For more on Ghost Town or updates, contact Katharine Round: k.round@ucl.ac.uk

Get involved!

The UCL Office for Open Science and Scholarship invites you to contribute to the open science and scholarship movement. Stay connected for updates, events, and opportunities. Follow us on Bluesky, and join our mailing list to be part of the conversation!