On 10 February at 2:00 PM, Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) will host a lecture titled “The digital scholar: Navigating the intersection of Academia and social media” in room C-I-414. The lecture will be delivered by Assoc. Prof. Justine Toms from New Bulgarian University (NBU), a member of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA).

In today’s academic environment, scholarly work increasingly unfolds in the digital space. Social media and online platforms shape how research is communicated, evaluated, and reaches the wider public. Online visibility has become an integral part of academic practice and public engagement.

During the lecture, Assoc. Prof. Justine Toms will discuss the changing role of academics — from individual researchers to active participants in public and digital communication. The session will explore how platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram can be used strategically to strengthen personal academic profiles and institutional reputation, while remaining connected to specialized scholarly repositories such as ResearchGate. The lecture will provide practical insights into enhancing the visibility and impact of academic research in an international context.

Assoc. Prof. Justine Toms is a member of the Department of Media and Communication at New Bulgarian University and a pioneer of Bulgaria’s internet landscape. She has worked in digital marketing and online media since the late 1990s. She is the founder of ABC Design & Communication, the creator of the long-running “Site of the Year” competition, and the author of more than 20 books on online presence, social media, and digital communication. In addition to her academic work, she is an active advocate for digital literacy and a volunteer within the global Wikimedia movement.