Staff exchange – ‘a trip down memory lane’
A staff exchange to Oxford gave academic editor Helena Lysaght new insights and inspiration for communicating about research. Read what a staff exchange could mean for you!
I’m walking along the cobbled Catte Street in Oxford. To my left, tourists pose at the Bridge of Sighs, a covered bridge that connects two parts of one of Oxford University’s colleges. To my right, I see the gargoyles, stone heads that adorn the exterior of the Sheldonian Theatre, where graduation ceremonies are held. I feel the winter sun on my face. In the distance, double-decker busses travel along High Street. The stately, circular library building, the Radcliffe Camera, appears before me.
I turn one more corner and there it is: Brasenose College, my former college. Sixteen years ago, I studied here as part of my bachelor’s in Law. And now I’m back, on a staff exchange this time. So lucky!
Staff exchange is also for support staff
Working at Leiden Law School, I often read items about staff exchange: a short period when staff can travel abroad to learn about another university or educational system – perhaps going to teach or acquire new skills.
In September 2025, I read an interview with Associate Professor Robert Heinsch about his exchange to the United States, where he taught for one semester. It included a section: ‘Interested in gaining experience abroad?’ That got me thinking: would support staff, like me, be considered?
I sent an email to Anette van Sandwijk, Head of the Office for International Education at the faculty. It soon turned out that I, too, could go on exchange. Three months later, after two cups of coffee and a few emails, I board the Eurostar to the United Kingdom.
Learning about science communication
The Communications Department of Oxford University was willing to welcome me over three days to talk about how they share their research with a broad audience, what works well and what doesn't? As an alumna, I’d been following my old university on LinkedIn for many years. Lately, I’d seen more and more videos where researchers explain current events. For instance, the Greenland conflict, where the president of the United States has expressed interest in buying or annexing the country, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. I’m curious to hear how these items come about.
During my visit, I met various people involved in communications for the university and the Faculty of Law. I’d already forwarded questions and topics I’d like to discuss in advance. It was surprising how much the people I spoke to were willing to share, including the challenges they face which are familiar to me: how do you reach people online when attention spans are getting shorter and shorter? And how do you measure the impact of your work: when can you say an item has been successful?
Not only did I learn a lot from these conversations, I also noticed that my colleagues at Oxford University were interested in how we do things, for instance our choice of visual materials, and the communication channels we use such as the Leiden Law Blog. So, this visit was an exchange that worked in two directions.
Takeaways put into practice
After returning to Leiden, I shared my most important takeaways with the Marketing & Communications team. Now, four months on, we have already put various insights into practice, the biggest development being the structural use of video.
With a sense of satisfaction, but also feeling rather nostalgic, I look back on yet another successful exchange to Oxford. My experience this time was inspiring and educational – the real value is being able to put what I learned directly into practice.
Also interested in a staff exchange?
Check out the staff mobility page!