The Science of Policy
I’m quickly hopping onto this blog to share my experience of applying for a science policy internship during my PhD, and what I’ll be doing on my upcoming placement at…. *drumroll* Westminster’s Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology!
I’ll shorten this to POST from now on — they have all sorts of options for projects, and there are lots of different research sponsors. And fear not, you don’t have to go to London to get such an opportunity — they host a similar scheme at the Scottish Government, and a few other places, such as the Academy of Medical Sciences. Some of the deadlines are coming up soon, so if you’re thinking about doing an internship like this then get hunting and applying soon!
What’s the placement going to involve?
So, in about three weeks’ time, I’ll be moving myself down to London for three months. I’ve only been to London twice before (once on a short lab visit to the Birkbeck University, and second as a day trip for the internship interview!). While I’m in London, my PhD will be paused and I’ll get a stipend from my placement sponsor.
At POST, I’ll be writing a policy briefing. I’m not sure I’m allowed to say what it is on publicly, so I’ll keep it a secret from @PhDAndStuff readers! A policy briefing, also known as a ‘note’, is a short 4-page summary / infographic about an issue or topic related to public policy. They’re used by members of parliament as resources for making political decisions, and as background reading for debates or discussions.
Notes are based on a review of the scientific literature, as well as interviews with key stakeholders. They’re also peer-reviewed by experts in that area, and all of them are freely available online. As a POST fellow, part of your role is to identify and recruit stakeholders to interview in your research — hardcore academic networking! You then have to synthesis all your interviews and your literature review into a very brief summary (with some lovely figures, of course!). This sounds fairly simple… right?
Well actually, I do really expect that it will be challenging, but that’s part of why I applied (more on that below!). It’s hard to get all the information you need out of interviews, and often (in my case, at least) there’s a moment of “d’oh, I should’ve asked them about this!” It’s going to be challenging to schedule meetings with incredibly busy folk within a three-month time window, and to really throw myself out to the big important people of the world (“Hi, do you have a moment to talk about… oh? Nevermind…”). And it’s certainly going to be interesting to balance all those different views neatly in four pages. That’s really something I’m hoping to practice at POST, since it’s a sticky point in my PhD, which has far more than four pages but still a challenge to fit all the views in!
How do you apply?
Your mileage may vary, of course, but for me the application process involved a form, a 2-page CV, and a mock ‘note’ (examples on the POST website). This actually isn’t the topic I’ll be doing at POST after all, so don’t go in completely bound if you can help it! After shortlisting, I was then invited for an interview at the POST offices (in the middle of my data collection-yaldi), with a panel of researchers from different disciplines, and a funding representative.
As for words for wisdom, I kept three key words in my head throughout the application process: impact, engagement, and communication. Whilst most of you will (hopefully) have heard of these before, they are key for any kind of science communication role.
Why do people need to know about this topic?
How would you identify stakeholders for your note?
Are you able to quickly communicate this topic in a ten-minute cab ride, to a lay politician, to a senior researcher in the field?
You need all of these people on your side when making a political decision (as you are making informed decisions based on research evidence to serve the public… *current UK politics has left the chat*), and it’s no different when you’re going to conduct a piece of political research.
Why are you doing this?
I already mentioned that I would generally like more experience in science communication, and particularly engagement with public-facing topics — since apparently my PhD (autism / technology / education) doesn’t have enough of that. This placement seems like a good opportunity to really ramp up the job network before hitting that post-PhD employment rat race, and to give a boost to those writing and communication skills. I’m also interested to learn how research is translated into political settings, and even more importantly, how research such as my own and my labs’ could be applied to public policy. And I’m definitely keen on jobs in the third sector after PhD — such as in science policy, research charities or doing research with a big focus on public outputs and engagement, and doing research with public policy in mind.
And, let’s be honest, I’m also looking forward to putting a little distance between me and the PhD. Not only to push back on the aforementioned rat race, but having a few more months to reflect on my work and what it all ~means~ is very welcome at this stage of thesis writing (Rome was not built in a day, after all). Also, and this might come as a surprise to those who know me in person, but I really do thrive in “take your life, give it a shake” (anybody who recognises this reference can be my FRiend). So, on that note, I’m on a one-way ticket to London to take a test drive on what might potentially be my career.
Have any of you thought about doing a work placement in your PhD? Or have any of you done a similar placement and have some words of wisdom to share? Oh, and um, what do proper adults wear at the office?
Sincerely,
-Maggi
