Hannah Jones works as Beckman's human participants research coordinator. She joined the institute last year and supports research and labs who work with human participants. She's the first person to hold the position.

Jones has been with the University of Illinois since 2017, working first for the ATLAS Internship Program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, then for the Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab within Beckman.

How long have you been at Beckman and what is your role?

I've worked at the Beckman Institute since 2018 as a research specialist, but I've been in this role since April 2024. My current job involves working with the researchers here to develop strategies to improve participation in research studies, managing the I-HELP registry and working with our outreach manager, Lexie Kesler, to promote science communication. I help researchers look at their study materials and brainstorm ways to advertise their study to various audiences. With the I-HELP Registry, I recruit and add new people to the system and have been working on updating the information we already have. I am currently in the middle of organizing some summer events to engage more with our community and bring our research off-campus.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I really enjoy getting to meet with and work with so many different people, in terms of both researchers and participants. I learn a lot from everyone. I have really enjoyed working with our communications team, particularly on the topic of science communication. I didn't realize when I started in this role just how strongly and passionately I feel about making science accessible to everyone. Learning how to do so more effectively has been a joy.

Why should people participate in research?

As someone who has both collected data and been a participant, I have a couple of answers. As a participant, every experience has been interesting and fun; plus, I always learned something new about science or myself. Getting an EEG and seeing my brain waves the first time was fascinating. Additionally, none of this is possible without participants. We both need and want people from all walks of life to participate as it allows us to provide answers and results applicable to everyone. 

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I'm a big reader, so I love being curled up with my dog or cat and a good book. I'm also trying to get back into playing piano more. I did for years, but currently am a bit out of practice.