The greatest challenge Lipps faces is in juggling administrative responsibilities while maintaining an active and focused research program. Professors must play a dual role of administrator and academic, and it can be difficult sometimes to keep official duties from complicating the progress of research and teaching. Lipps has served as a Department Chair at both UC Davis and UC Berkeley, and as the Director of UCMP.

In addition to his research, teaching and administrative responsibilities, Lipps devotes time to public outreach, particularly on the subject of science in the media. He has written and published numerous essays about the way science and scientists are portrayed to the public. Lipps discusses how the media, motivated by a desire to increase audience share and profits, misleads audiences with sensational “junk science” rather than real, engaging scientific programs. When presented in the right manner, real science is just as fascinating as alien invasions and other pseudo-scientific lore.

Lipps advises people to set aside false notions about the nature of science and scientists. The public will find science to be a creative and enjoyable venture once they learn to look beyond media-driven notions casting scientists as introverts who wear white lab coats and speak in undecipherable jargon.