Three Peaks of Lavaredo, Italy. July 2017
Hi there, I am Mayank Shreshtha, a freelance visual science communicator based in the UK/India. By academic training, I am a theoretical physicist who has worked mainly in statistical physics (application and formalism). I hold a BS-MS Dual degree in Physical Sciences from IISER Kolkata, India (2011-2016). I completed my PhD in Mathematical Sciences from Queen Mary University of London, UK (2016-2021).
The word ‘beauty’ in science and mathematics is highly subjective. Physicists may call an equation or a theory beautiful, but it is tough for non-specialists to appreciate or even notice it in the first place. Most often, the rigorous nature of the subject repels people (even within subfields of physics), and essential breakthroughs take years to get the recognition they truly deserve.
Visual science communication plays a vital role in such situations. It helps to break one of the long-held assumptions in the scientific community (mainly theoretical sciences) that presenting research findings aesthetically appealingly implies a lack of priorities and academic rigour (in the worst scenario). These kinds of negative assumptions hold back science from reaching the masses. Scientific rigour and visually compelling imagery are not incompatible. Although it is challenging to convert technical concepts into simplified visuals, it is surely not an impossible task. Combining the best practices in the field of visual communication to communicate science is only going to advance its agenda. Scientific research, in general, benefits from good illustration and design choices. And the end goal is to communicate the findings.
By training, I am a scientist, not an artist or graphic designer thus I am aware of the needs of academics and researchers (especially, theoretical sciences). Get in touch for creating graphical abstracts, schematics for journals and grant proposals, teaching and science-outreach materials, lab-website content, press release and so on. I will ensure the delivery of a scientifically accurate illustration with minimal iterations. The guiding principle is that the core scientific content must stand out with least distractions.
You can contact me at mayanks.sciart@gmail.com for any queries related to any illustration or animation work.
Get in touch to discuss your project.
