Four top tips for a career in science communication and policy

Did you miss our Careers in Science Communication and Science Policy forum earlier this month? Worry not, because we’ve compiled the key take-home points below.

Here we share key lessons learnt at an event as part of Life Sciences week.

Who were the speakers?

• Anna Rajakumar, Senior Policy Manager in the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme at NHS England, who also has experience working at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
• Annika Grandison, Engagement Team Lead at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, who has a background in scientific publishing, at Springer Nature, and learned societies, at the Royal Society.
• Emily Carey, Head of Pandemics and High Consequence Disease at the Department of Health and Social Care, who started her career in pharmaceutical communications, and moved into the public sector working as a press officer for the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• Pedro Ferreira, Science Communication and Outreach Postdoctoral Coordinator at INESC-ID in Portugal, who studied Imperial’s MSc in Science Media Production, and has experience working at CERN and the Biochemical Society.
• Weilin Wu, who recently started a new role as Impact Manager at Great Ormand Street Hospital Charity, after roles in impact and communications at CRUK.

Do you need a PhD or postgraduate qualification?

No. Two speakers were PhD-holders, but the other four were not, and they all agreed that, although a few organisations (like learned societies), do especially appreciate it, a PhD is definitely not a prerequisite for working in the sector, and neither is a post-grad qualification in policy or communications.

In fact, sometimes having too much expertise in an area actually makes it harder to communicate it to non-experts. On top of that, Emily studied Geography at university, so even a life-science-related undergraduate degree is not mandatory, as long as you have a strong interest in life science and health. 

You will, however, find this is a sector full of people keen on continuous development; after 10 years of working in policy, Anna is studying for a PhD part-time, Emily intends on taking up a Masters in epidemiology to further her knowledge and skills, and Pedro is currently undertaking a second PhD in the History of Science!

What is the best thing about this sector?

Many felt being attached to science, which most of the panellists studied at university, was a draw, as were daily tasks of writing and crafting arguments, and the variety of scientific topics covered by both those communicating to the public and to policy makers.

They all worked with smart and interesting people, and within organisations that align with their values, and as a result, the speakers felt passionate about their work. And Anna and Emily talked about the real-world impact of the policies they worked on being fulfilling, as well as the fact that once you’re in the civil service, it’s relatively easy to move around between different roles and departments.

What is the worst?

Although many of the speakers said remuneration was pretty good in their workplaces, there was a general agreement that private company pay was sometimes better.

Some speakers had even taken a pay cut when they moved from jobs in academia into this sector, although they had now returned to comparable levels. And early on in communications roles, there is a lot of deskwork, namely writing, writing, and only writing, which may appeal to some people, but put others off.

However, those looking for variety can gain it by progressing to senior roles involving more meetings and editing. A particular challenge mentioned on the policy side is that one must accept scientific evidence is not the only thing that counts in policy decisions. Other factors, such as cost, also influence what strategies governments take, which can sometimes be frustrating.