Building a Scientist's Personal Brand on LinkedIn: 54 B2B Leads for a Machine Learning Lab at Georgia State University
In this case study, we share how ModumUp agency helped Sergey Plis, Professor of Computer Science at Georgia State University and Director of Machine Learning at the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging & Data Science (TReNDS), build an expert presence on LinkedIn and support outbound partnership outreach for a machine learning lab at TReNDS.
Terms in this case
Social Selling - building relationships and demand in B2B through an expert profile on social media, combining content, networking, and direct outreach.
Connection - a relevant prospect who has accepted your connection request and is now part of your first-degree LinkedIn network.
MQL (marketing qualified lead) - a prospect who has shown meaningful interest through engagement, questions, or a request for more information.
SQL (sales qualified lead) - a qualified prospect who is ready for a sales conversation, such as a discovery call or meeting.
Social Selling - building relationships and demand in B2B through an expert profile on social media, combining content, networking, and direct outreach.
Connection - a relevant prospect who has accepted your connection request and is now part of your first-degree LinkedIn network.
MQL (marketing qualified lead) - a prospect who has shown meaningful interest through engagement, questions, or a request for more information.
SQL (sales qualified lead) - a qualified prospect who is ready for a sales conversation, such as a discovery call or meeting.
About the client and project goals
Sergey Plis is a Professor of Computer Science at Georgia State University and a director of machine learning at the Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging & Data Science (TReNDS). He and his collaborators are working on fascinating and ambitious research projects in the field of neuroimaging.
Sergey had long wanted to use his LinkedIn and X (ex-Twitter) profiles to share the work that he and his colleagues do and build his public profile as an expert in the field, with an eye toward future collaborations.
Maintaining an active social media profile takes time and effort, more than Sergey could afford while also running a 20-person lab with a level of productivity worth sharing on LinkedIn and X. Sergey initially turned to the ModumUp agency for general support. As the profile gained traction, the collaboration expanded to proactive outreach for TReNDS among pharmaceutical companies and neuroscience research institutes.
Sergey had long wanted to use his LinkedIn and X (ex-Twitter) profiles to share the work that he and his colleagues do and build his public profile as an expert in the field, with an eye toward future collaborations.
Maintaining an active social media profile takes time and effort, more than Sergey could afford while also running a 20-person lab with a level of productivity worth sharing on LinkedIn and X. Sergey initially turned to the ModumUp agency for general support. As the profile gained traction, the collaboration expanded to proactive outreach for TReNDS among pharmaceutical companies and neuroscience research institutes.
Our role was to support Sergey with a set of tools and techniques to help grow his profile. For content, we brainstormed topics during weekly calls. Based on recordings of these sessions, we prepared drafts that he then edited to add his voice, and we also reviewed texts he wrote on his own, making occasional edits to improve readability. Overall, the process was built around co-creation.
Sergey is a very interesting and knowledgeable person and not just in his professional field. Just from our casual talks, there was a constant stream of content ideas and relevant news that it was becoming difficult to keep up with them. So, it didn't take long for us to abandon the initial content strategy.
Yelzhas Baktybayev
Project Manager at ModumUp
Social media platforms or where to find your crowd
We began by focusing on the development of a personal brand on LinkedIn and X among individuals in the scientific and healthcare fields who could benefit from Sergey's research. This group comprised neuroscientists, machine and deep learning researchers, and professionals in hospitals and medical diagnostic labs, mainly from the USA and Western Europe.
It should be noted that LinkedIn was more appropriate for B2B communication, while X was popular among the scientific community.
It should be noted that LinkedIn was more appropriate for B2B communication, while X was popular among the scientific community.
The audience is highly engaged on both platforms. On LinkedIn specifically, the Connection Rate (% of approved connections per sent requests) was around 60% throughout the entire project duration. In a bit over a year the network grew from 1,309 connections and followers to 6,504.
Yulia Ivanova
Project Manager at ModumUp
The power of co-creation: two heads are better than one
As we continued collaborating on content creation, we noticed a substantial increase in positive feedback. This response underscores the importance of including the client in the process. You can genuinely see and feel Sergey's individuality and expertise, which would've been impossible without his active participation.
As an agency, our role was to help structure the information and present it in a format suitable for the specific social media platform.
Thanks to the co-creation approach, the posts turned out to be interesting and sincere, conveying Sergey's personality and at times provoking lively discussions.
Sergey's diverse professional interests and pursuits prevented boredom and staleness in his content. He shared updates on research and opinions on various scientific topics, told stories from trips to multiple conferences, and offered anecdotes from his teaching experiences, providing a steady flow of unique material that showcased his individuality in different ways.
Sergey's diverse professional interests and pursuits prevented boredom and staleness in his content. He shared updates on research and opinions on various scientific topics, told stories from trips to multiple conferences, and offered anecdotes from his teaching experiences, providing a steady flow of unique material that showcased his individuality in different ways.
Link to the post
Sergey also noticed that more people started to recognize the work he and the ModumUp team do. Impressions on his content frequently exceeded his connection count by 2-3x. The top three posts reached 11,595, 10,684, and 9,854 impressions, respectively, reaching tens of thousands of people.
Sergey became visible enough to be invited to a local podcast to share his thoughts and expertise, as well as several other events he could not attend.
Sergey became visible enough to be invited to a local podcast to share his thoughts and expertise, as well as several other events he could not attend.
Announcement of Sergey's conversation with David McCall
It depends on the person, but for me, the writing process feels much easier when done together with a partner. Not only is it more fun to discuss things as you go, but it also helps with organizing your thoughts and looking at ideas from a different point of view.
What seems interesting to me might be boring to others. Or vice versa. An outside perspective helps you notice unexpected and entertaining perspectives from which the idea could be presented.
What seems interesting to me might be boring to others. Or vice versa. An outside perspective helps you notice unexpected and entertaining perspectives from which the idea could be presented.
Improving texture and flavor with a "personal" spice
Adding personal posts to the stream of professional content about scientific research and other professional topics brings freshness and helps establish a connection between the profile page and the person behind it. It also expands the options for showcasing the individual's personality and solidifying their online presence.
Link to the post
Link to the tweet
Bringing the 'Social' to 'Networking': it's all about interactions
Publishing original content is only part of the work on social media. Platforms reward interactions, conversations, and discussions, and those exchanges happen across the network.
When it comes to comments from colleagues or questions from strangers Sergey is very open and always replies when he has something to say. He also interacts with other people's content, but not as regularly as someone that's part of the network.
So, the ModumUp team regularly sends Sergey a list of interesting content from other creators to give more options. It also had a helpful side effect: it broadened Sergey's horizon, even though that was not the goal.
I work in somewhat of a rut, and usually interact only with particular types of work and people. But some of the suggested content helps to breathe fresh air into the rut and helps in overcoming potential viewpoint barriers.
I discovered some genuinely interesting news and information that I wouldn't have even thought of searching for. Maybe it doesn't help from the professional point of view, but I found the value in that as a person.
I discovered some genuinely interesting news and information that I wouldn't have even thought of searching for. Maybe it doesn't help from the professional point of view, but I found the value in that as a person.
Beyond commenting and engaging with the audience in the feed, the ModumUp team also organized two LinkedIn Live events. Live sessions are a great way to talk to your audience in real time and turn connections into conversations.
Live Conversations on LinkedIn
The team hosted 2 LinkedIn Live events to create more direct conversations with the audience. There was no paid promotion. For 2 weeks leading up to each live event, the team invited Sergey's connections to join the broadcast in private messages. The total across both events was 509 registrations.
Automated EEG interpretation using AI was a LinkedIn Live session focused on using AI for EEG interpretation. The event received 356 registrations.
Automated EEG interpretation using AI was a LinkedIn Live session focused on using AI for EEG interpretation. The event received 356 registrations.
Looking Through the Black Box was a LinkedIn Live discussion on interpretable deep learning and explainable AI (XAI) in neuroimaging, hosted by Sergey Plis with Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Ph.D. (postdoctoral researcher at TReNDS). The event received 153 registrations.
Once Sergey's profile had a relevant network and consistent engagement, the team expanded the work to proactive outreach. Content and interactions in the feed helped make first messages warmer and improved the odds of getting a reply.
Lead generation for TReNDS among pharma companies and research institutes
For effective Social Selling, it is not enough to publish content and grow an audience. The team also reached out proactively in private messages on Sergey's behalf. The goal was to start conversations with professionals who could become research or commercial partners of TReNDS: pharmaceutical companies and psychological/neuroscience institutes focused on Alzheimer's disease, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, later expanding to European pharma and universities in Western Europe and North America.
The ModumUp team sent connection requests to active LinkedIn users in these segments, then followed up with lead generation messages about collaboration with TReNDS, networking messages without a direct pitch, and follow-ups that included presentation materials.
Over the lead generation phase (project months 29–36), the team produced 43 MQL who requested presentations or materials about TReNDS and 11 SQL - scheduled calls and meetings with qualified contacts from large organizations, including conversations with Georgia Tech Research Institute, Lavipharm, Carelon, Harvard Medical School, the University of Cambridge, and Queen's Medical Centre.
The personal brand built earlier made this outreach credible: recipients could see Sergey's research, conference posts, and expert content before they replied.
The ModumUp team sent connection requests to active LinkedIn users in these segments, then followed up with lead generation messages about collaboration with TReNDS, networking messages without a direct pitch, and follow-ups that included presentation materials.
Over the lead generation phase (project months 29–36), the team produced 43 MQL who requested presentations or materials about TReNDS and 11 SQL - scheduled calls and meetings with qualified contacts from large organizations, including conversations with Georgia Tech Research Institute, Lavipharm, Carelon, Harvard Medical School, the University of Cambridge, and Queen's Medical Centre.
The personal brand built earlier made this outreach credible: recipients could see Sergey's research, conference posts, and expert content before they replied.
Co-creating results or what we accomplished
Key outcomes from the 3-year collaboration:
With Sergey as an example, we once again confirmed that co-creation and openness, as well as a balance of personal and expert content in the profile, work most effectively. A strong expert profile can also support B2B lead generation when the audience and offer are clearly defined.
- Audience growth on social media: attracted 10,000+ LinkedIn connections (up from 1,309) and 1,407 followers on X (up from 103)
- Top posts reached 9,854-11,595 impressions, often exceeding the connection count by 2-3x
- Hosted two science-focused LinkedIn Live events and received 509 registrations
- One podcast invitation to share his thoughts and expertise
- 43 MQL (requested presentations or materials about TReNDS)
- 11 SQL (scheduled calls and meetings with qualified contacts)
With Sergey as an example, we once again confirmed that co-creation and openness, as well as a balance of personal and expert content in the profile, work most effectively. A strong expert profile can also support B2B lead generation when the audience and offer are clearly defined.
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