Science Policy Advice for Experienced Professionals

Most of the articles I’ve written in this series refer to early career researchers interested in science policy careers. But I have also received questions from more experienced professionals interested in this field.

Whereas I think there may be fewer opportunities available in this case – certainly for entry level roles such as fellowships – one piece of advice would be to look for fellowships that do not have restrictions in terms of years post PhD graduation for applications.

Another thing to keep in mind is that professionals who may want to change careers later in their professional life likely have experience that can translate into science policy careers, as many skills learned in science for example can translate.

Therefore these individuals may be qualified for positions in the field where they can use prior learned skills and they may be able to skip the fellowship stage, and apply directly for full-time positions which are not fellowships.

One particular group to consider is research faculty who often engage in advocacy while they are running a laboratory, and also seek to engage their trainees in such activities as related to their research projects.

Therefore interest and experience in policy and advocacy engagement can also be cultivated by professionals without necessarily making a career move, but while they are still in research. And often, faculty may engage in these roles for a certain period of time to gain some experience and then decide to return to research if they decide that they don’t want to make the full transition.

In either case, engaging in science policy and advocacy on their research can be helpful for gaining a broader perspective on the topic as it relates to the societal relevance, and this often helps their trainees as well to gain that perspective.

This article represents Adriana’s personal views, and not the views of her employer.