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# Beam: Strategic support grounded in research, analysis and behavioural design

## Sitemaps
[XML Sitemap](https://beam.org.za/sitemap_index.xml): Includes all crawlable and indexable pages.

## Posts
- [Are academic incentives holding back early-career researchers?](https://beam.org.za/2026/09/23/are-academic-incentives-holding-back-early-career-researchers/): Research depends on curiosity, creativity and the pursuit of new knowledge. In economic terminology, we refer to this as a shifting of the knowledge frontier. But what happens when the incentives designed to encourage high-quality work begin to overshadow these very things? Academic incentives are designed to reward rigorous, high-quality research. Yet the pressure to publish, secure funding and demonstrate impact can create intense competition, particularly for early-career researchers who are still finding their feet, and importantly, their research questions. For some, the development of a research career can become a source of disillusionment rather than discovery. This month we’re exploring the challenges early-career researchers face in becoming established scholars. Our next newsletter will share evidence-based suggestions to help address these challenges. In the meantime, we’re experimenting with ideas of our own as we work to develop innovative solutions in this space. Spotlight Scientific impact could come at an emotional cost. That’s the finding of a study of more than 2,400 academics conducted in Spain where research evaluation significantly depends on scientific impact. The researchers surveyed participants at two points in time, four years apart. They found that higher scientific impact was associated with less positive spillover from work into personal life (work/life balance), which was in turn linked to lower happiness.   Find a seven-slide summary of this research here.   At Beam, we believe early-career researchers need more tools to build and maintain their personal happiness, as this supports stamina, resilience and ultimately, longevity in research careers.   Showcase But the pressures of academic success may affect more than researchers' happiness. This may also shape their creativity and the kind of research they are willing to pursue.   A recent study explores how academic systems can discourage innovative research as an unintended consequence. The authors draw on existing research to look at how these systems place disproportionate pressure on early-career researchers (ECRs).   Scientific output and productivity have increased sharply in recent decades. But this growth hasn't been matched by similar improvements in the originality or quality of research.   So what’s holding creativity back? The authors point to five key barriers affecting early-career researchers’ creativity:   Hierarchical dependencies and early-career trap: ECRs can have limited freedom to pursue their own ideas, while academic hierarchies can encourage conformity and make it harder to develop independence.   Short-term funding and productivity pressure: ECRs may face pressure to produce research that is less risky and easier to assess, making them less likely to pursue unconventional ideas.   Conservative peer review and journal prestige: Academic publishing can favour established ideas and prestigious journals, making it harder for unconventional research to gain recognition.   Geographic, gender and language inequalities: Researchers do not have equal access to funding, resources and visibility, which can give those at better-resourced institutions an advantage.   Hyper-specialisation and metric-driven alignment: ECRs can feel pressured to follow dominant narratives and research trends, limiting the questions they explore.   Innovation Update In our research and conversations over the past few months, we’ve come to realise that early-career researchers need, above all, a supportive community of peers and mentors.   But a scoping exercise revealed few opportunities for mentorship, relationship-building and interdisciplinary collaboration for early-career researchers in Africa. While courses and opportunities to acquire a broad range of research skills abound, valuable ‘soft’ skills for navigating a career in research, building a network for collaboration and skills to maintain personal well-being are mostly neglected.   We continue our journey to explore ways in which we can become an agent of opportunities for research and researchers to flourish.   Links we love Opportunities and resources for early-career researchers in Africa:   According to The British Academy, Confessions of an Early Career Researcher is a podcast by ECRs, for ECRs. Hosted by Dr Leonie Smith, it explores the post-PhD journey, with researchers sharing personal stories, insights and realities of academic life. The University of Cape Town’s Researcher Development Academy provides a training programme that develops research skills. The programmes are up to five days long with customised content. More info and testimonials here. Economic Research Southern Africa offers a range of econometric modelling courses and skills development programmes. Applications can be found on its website. The Women in Agriculture Leadership Program Fellowship has opened calls for its second cohort. It is a two-year non-residential Fellowship aimed at building female African researchers’ skills, confidence and influence. The Fellowship is aimed at mid-career African women working in agricultural science in Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Senegal. Applications close on 6 November 2026. Find more info here. To help ensure that health research in South Africa can thrive, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)'s Division of Research Capacity Development has opened applications for the SAMRC Early Investigators Programme. The programme offers universities an opportunity to invest in the future of health research by supporting mid-career scientists as they transition to independent researchers and establish their own research teams. Applications close on 9 October 2026.
- [Wicked and Weird: How do we solve problems in one context with evidence from another?](https://beam.org.za/2026/07/31/wicked-and-weird-how-do-we-solve-problems-in-one-context-with-evidence-from-another/): Some problems are far more difficult to solve than others. Development experts call these "wicked” problems: challenges that are so tangled up in incomplete, contradictory and constantly changing conditions, that a single fix rarely holds. South Africa has plenty of these. To make matters worse, solutions to wicked problems in developing countries are often sought in evidence from somewhere else entirely, specifically, from WEIRD countries (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic). At Beam, we understand the importance of contextually relevant research and clear communication of evidence. But we also ask an important question: how can research evidence be translated into real-world solutions for South Africa’s wicked problems? This has led us to Impact Science. More on that in our Innovation Update below. Spotlight South Africa's high rate of violence is a textbook wicked problem, and parenting programmes have emerged as one way to strengthen families and reduce interpersonal harm. A recent study, published by the South African Parenting Programme Implementers Network (SAPPIN), asks whether parenting programmes rooted in evidence-based research are the only way to achieve successful interventions in South Africa. Evidence-based research is a systematic and objective approach to testing whether an intervention works, often using randomised control trials (RCTs) to minimise bias and measure outcomes. Interestingly, the findings point to four reasons why leaning exclusively on evidence-based approaches may not fit South Africa : Change is good: Evidence-based programmes are usually tested in tightly controlled settings. Real communities aren't controlled: they shift, adapt and surprise you. Thoughtful adaptation, can make programmes more relevant, not less rigorous. Evidence isn’t a guarantee: A programme that works in one place, at one time, with one population doesn't automatically transfer. Evidence is specific — to a place, a time, a group of people. Evidence comes at a cost: Requirements for certification, licensing, specialised training, programme materials, etc. means evidence-based programmes carry a price tag, and that cost can eat into the budget for actual service delivery. Researchers aren’t the only experts: The organisations doing the work every day hold practical knowledge that rarely makes it into an academic journal and gets undervalued because of it. ❝ “evidence of efficacy only yields results that are highly specific, i.e. for a specific population in a specific setting at a specific time, and cannot claim efficacy for diverse populations and contexts at different times” Striving for Programme Excellence in South Africa: An Alternative to the WEIRD Evidence-based Agenda Showcase So, if evidence is only relevant for the population it was tested on, what could we do to reduce our reliance on evidence from WEIRD populations? Findings from these populations are often generalised and applied to people living with very different social and cultural circumstances. For example, WEIRD societies, such as the US and Western Europe, tend to value independence, emphasising autonomy, personal choice and self-reliance. Much of the Global South runs on interdependence; where relationships, tradition and collective wellbeing steer decisions. A 2023 paper unpacks why development programmes based on assumptions from WEIRD societies do not always work as intended in developing countries. One case study describes how starving villagers in Sudan received food rations from aid organisations, but instead of consuming the food, the villagers passed it onto their chief to distribute among the community. The aid programme assumed that individuals would make decisions independently, but the community instead followed cultural norms that prioritises hierarchy, shared responsibility and collective decision-making. ❝ “In many current-day low-income and Global South contexts, and historically for most societies, local cultural ideas and practices construe a person not as an independent and separate entity but instead as a part of a larger encompassing social whole—an extended kinship structure, a village, a community” Thomas, C. C., & Markus, H. R The lesson here is that the contextual relevance of evidence always needs to be considered to avoid unintended consequences or disappointing intervention results. Innovation Update Last month we highlighted that researchers in South Africa need better communication tools, stronger communities and more funding opportunities to expand the reach and impact of their research. Curious about research impact more broadly, we explored Impact Science, an emerging field that focuses on how research evidence can be used in practice to improve lives. In short, increasing the real-world impact of research requires greater data standardisation, improved access to data and establishing communities of practice where the private, public, government and non-profit sectors actively collaborate to put evidence into action. So, what does this mean for solving wicked problems in Southern Africa and beyond? More evidence on what works in these contexts need to be generated in general, but implementing this evidence may be the key that unlocks development impact and change. Over the coming months we will be reaching out to our networks, asking if a bespoke, action-oriented Community of Practice is of interest and what it could involve? Please contact us if you want to discuss this and have some ideas or experience to share. Links we love This short video effectively explains the concept of WEIRD. It explains where the participants come from and asks the important question, “How representative are they of the broader population?” What’s a Wicked Problem? This article unpacks the concept of wicked problems and outlines the 10 characteristics that set them apart from more straightforward challenges.
- [Research Communication: The first step towards real-world impact?](https://beam.org.za/2026/07/02/research-communication-the-first-step-towards-real-world-impact/): At Beam, we aspire to communicate important information in a way that evokes emotions and changes decisions and actions for the better. This month we share an example of just how powerful creative storytelling can be. With this in mind, we have started our own journey of innovation, and we will be reporting on challenges and progress in the newsletters to come. We will likely share some tools and learnings along the way too. Spotlight Sometimes a visual says what pages of data cannot. By making complex information easy to understand, visualisations help ideas reach wider audiences. One of the most successful examples of this is the Climate Spiral. A spinning wheel of colour that turns 165 years of climate data into something you can understand in less time than it takes to read this sentence. More on that below. Created by British climate scientist Ed Hawkins, the animated graphic first went viral on Twitter (now X) in May 2016. Since then, it has been viewed millions of times, shared widely across social media, featured in news outlets around the world and even shown during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.   An updated version is available from NASA.   Climate change data can be difficult to communicate, so why did this particular visualisation resonate so strongly? This question was explored in the 2019 article, The Climate Spiral Demonstrates the Power of Sharing Creative Ideas (Hawkins et al., 2019), which identified several reasons for its success. Familiarity: The visualisation translates climate change into temperature, which is a concept that most people can relate to. This makes the underlying data immediately accessible to audiences with little scientific background.   Creativity and design: The climate spiral is simple and easy to follow. Its short animation maintains the viewer’s attention while gradually building tension. The final movement beyond the 1.5°C and 2°C reference lines creates a powerful visual impact that many viewers remember long after watching it. Colour also plays an important role. The progression from blues to yellows reinforce the message of rising temperatures and increasing climate risk. Timing: It landed just after the Paris Agreement set its now-famous 1.5°C target, in a year that broke temperature records off the back of a strong El Niño. Trust: The graphic was initially shared by a respected climate scientist, lending it credibility. Social media then allowed it to spread rapidly beyond academic audiences, demonstrating how digital platforms can help scientific information reach millions of people. The last point is particularly topical as a recent editorial in Nature argues that the future of research communication will not be through traditional academic articles, but rather through channels like TikTok and Instagram. As these platforms become the primary source of news for many people, particularly those aged 18 to 24, scientists must find creative ways to communicate their findings in formats that are both engaging and accessible, without compromising scientific accuracy. If a spinning wheel of colour can out-communicate a peer-reviewed paper, it's worth asking what else researchers could be doing differently. Illustration adapted from a photo by Maximus Mazar on Unsplash Storytelling: Our own innovation drive We're taking our own advice. As part of an innovation drive, we have kicked off an ideation drive, wrestling with one big question: What do individual researchers in South Africa need? The working hypothesis/problem statement we have derived is that individual researchers in South Africa want to see more real-world implementation of their findings for societal change, but feel ill-equipped to do so. Researchers need: Communication: Skills and opportunities to translate, share and interpret findings in meaningful ways. Community: A collaborative network that discusses findings and works towards solving systemic problems. Funding: Unequal access to funding limits the scope and timing of research opportunities for African researchers     We are therefore embarking on a series of conversations to better understand what researchers need. We will be reaching out to our community for these informal discussions, but please get in contact if you have something you wish to share with us — even if you're not a researcher yourself. If you've ever struggled to explain your work to someone outside your field, you already know exactly what we're trying to solve. Links we love American data visualisation author Jon Schwabish interviews Alberto Cairo, a data visualisation expert, about the practice of designing effective visualisations, including the importance of making context-dependent decisions rather than strictly following fixed rules (essential listening if you've ever agonised over a chart). In this 18 minute TED Talk, British data journalist David McCandless explores the beauty and power of data visualisation. He demonstrates how patterns, relationships and hidden connections become visible when complex datasets are transformed into engaging visuals using graphs, colour and design. Eighteen minutes well spent.
- [Sparking smart habits: Six lessons on doing business for 2026](https://beam.org.za/2026/01/27/sparking-smart-habits-six-lessons-on-doing-business-for-2026utm_sourcebeam-clarity-newsletter-beehiiv-comutm_mediumnewsletterutm_campaignsparking-sm/): It is a new calendar year and soon a new year under the Chinese Zodiac: The Year of the Fire Horse. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolises loyalty, speed and strength, and when paired with the fire element (a combination which occurs only once every 60 years) it represents passion, transformation and leadership. Many view the Fire Horse year as a time to take action and implement change. But, every year’s qualities also have a downside. Such an intense period could also lead to burnout. As with all things in life, the key is to maintain balance.
- [Hope in small actions for great change](https://beam.org.za/2025/10/28/hope-in-small-actions-for-great-change/): The key takeaway is that the sustainability conversation has shifted from why climate is changing and what can be done about this, to how and how soon this can be done. The conversation has therefore shifted to one emphasising urgent action.
- [Mind matters: A closer look at adolescent mental health](https://beam.org.za/2025/09/04/mind-matters-a-closer-look-at-adolescent-mental-health/): Today, we share just some quantitative data that illustrate why we should care about this topic, from both an international and local perspective. It demonstrates how it may have shifted over time, as well as the most severe outcomes associated with poor mental health.
- [Mind games to grow your savings: Finding the ‘fun’ in funds with clever money challenges](https://beam.org.za/2025/07/31/mind-games-to-grow-your-savings/): With July marking national savings month, there’s no better time to reflect on the rich journey of stokvels: where they started, where they’re going and why they offer far more than financial benefits to members and communities. An informal and truly flexible saving product that works for people from all walks of life.
- [Stokvels – Unsung heroes in building resilience: How small contributions can build big dreams](https://beam.org.za/2025/07/09/stokvels-unsung-heroes-in-building-resilience/): With July marking national savings month, there’s no better time to reflect on the rich journey of stokvels: where they started, where they’re going and why they offer far more than financial benefits to members and communities. An informal and truly flexible saving product that works for people from all walks of life.
- [The Early Childhood Development chapter: The small habit that builds childhood success](https://beam.org.za/2025/06/24/the-early-childhood-development-chapter/): From comprehensive programmes to TED Talks and research papers, the area of Early Childhood Development (ECD) is well-covered. But one of the most powerful ways parents and caregivers can support a child’s development is also one of the simplest: read them a story. It’s something children naturally crave and something parents and caregivers often neglect.
- [Reading between the lines: The science of storytelling](https://beam.org.za/2025/06/10/reading-between-the-lines/): This week we’re looking at how storytelling can breathe life into the world of science communication, and in communicating any complex data or ideas.
- [Ocean(s) matter: Deep impact through communication](https://beam.org.za/2025/05/27/oceans-matter/): Despite taking up most of the planet, the ocean probably doesn’t cross your mind much unless you live close to the coast, or you’re a regular beachgoer. For most of us, we only really think about it when we’re planning a holiday.
- [More than words: Cervical cancer and vaccine message framing](https://beam.org.za/2025/05/13/more-than-words/): The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been identified as the primary cause of cervical cancer. The development of the HPV vaccine provided one of the most cost-effective tools to prevent HPV, the main cause of cervical cancer, among whole generations of women. The HPV vaccine is most effective to prevent cervical cancer when administered to adolescent girls (9-14 years).
- [Strength in small doses: The radically life-altering wonder of vaccines](https://beam.org.za/2025/04/09/strength-in-small-doses/): Since 1974, vaccines are estimated to have prevented the deaths of 154 million people—146 million of them children under the age of five . Over the past 50 years, the World Health Organization’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) is estimated to be the single most impactful initiative for improving infant survival during the last 50 years .
- [Polar Opposites: Ice Then, Water Now](https://beam.org.za/2025/03/25/polar-opposites/): This year’s United Nations World Water Day theme is slightly atypical, taking us closer to more extreme climate change concerns. The theme is “Glacier Preservation”. And we should be worried about this in a period where one of the world’s largest glacier floods took place in Greenland.
- [Beaming with excitement!](https://beam.org.za/2025/03/10/beaming-with-excitement/): Beam is a consultancy on a mission to make complex data, findings and ideas clear, visually appealing, and downright compelling – all to spark impactful change. We do this through three key services: storytelling, visualisation, and research & analytics (with a special focus on the magic of applied behavioral science in communication).

## Pages
- [Home v3](https://beam.org.za/): We help you communicate complex data and ideas clearly, simply and compellingly to catalyse impactful change.
- [Our work](https://beam.org.za/our-work/): In our work, we help you communicate complex data and ideas clearly, simply and compellingly to catalyse impactful change.
- [Newsletters](https://beam.org.za/newsletters/): Sep 23, 2026 | Education, Storytelling
- [Our People](https://beam.org.za/our-people/): Anja is Beam’s Storyteller and co-founder. She holds a PhD in Economics from Stellenbosch University, specialising in health financing in South Africa. She grew up surrounded by books and tales of eccentric people, fascinated by how life’s strange events enrich our everyday experiences. She is particularly intrigued by how the same stories and fables are retold across time and cultures.
- [Contact](https://beam.org.za/contact/): Whether you have questions, feedback, or simply want to say hello, we're here to listen and assist you in any way we can. Feel free to reach out to us.
- [Privacy Policy](https://beam.org.za/privacy-policy/): Our website address is: https://beam.org.za.

# Beam — Information design and research communication for social impact

Beam is a South African information design studio that turns research, data, and complex evidence into clear, accessible stories for government, funders, and civil society.

Founded by development economists and a behavioural science specialist.

## Core services
- Data visualisation
- Digital communication strategy
- Editing and writing
- Graphic design and branding
- Video and animation
- Website development
- Audio and podcast production
- Media liaison
- Newsletters
- Public campaigns

## Sectors
- Public health
- Food security
- Economic development
- Behavioural science
- Social impact research

## Clients include
- Stellenbosch University
- DG Murray Trust (DGMT)
- Shoprite
- Cenfri
- Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists (GAABS)
- Government departments across sub-Saharan Africa

## Contact
- Email: [hello@beam.org.za](mailto:hello@beam.org.za)
- Website: [https://beam.org.za](https://beam.org.za)